Ups and Downs
by Blackmoondragon1415
Summary: 'Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, how do you measure, measure a year' A what-if plot based around the Henry and the Ink Machine AU on Tumblr by thelostmoongazer.
1. Prologue: Come Little Children

Hello again! Know it's not an exact continuation, but I figured I'd be better off at least rounding things out. Besides, it did help me kill the last few weeks while waiting for chapter three to come out, though my best to theMeatly and his team, and hoping for a quick recovery from Irma.

Anyway, if anyone's come in late, the plot here deviates from the original one of the game in that Bendy is the one that left the studio thirty years ago instead of Henry, the idea coming from the wonderful mind of thelostmoongazer on Tumblr whom I seriously recommend people go check out as he's got a lot of cool art pieces regarding this and his other BATIM AU, the Mob AU which is also a fun ride.

At any rate, on with the story!

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Come Little Children:

The cool of the summer night had sapped some of the heat from the day, much to the relief of all who relied on the good turns of the elements for their comfort. Birds seemed to sigh songs of quiet happiness at the fresh breeze and the few stray cats and dogs seemed to grow more placid as the humidity began to leech itself from the air.

Everything simply relaxed, people easing out of their homes and workplaces to go out for the night and venues filling with couples of all ages, families, just a smattering of folks looking to enjoy the seasonable July weather. However, as with all fun, there were those that were enjoying, and those that were maintaining the scene for others to enjoy. In the backdrop of things, work never truly stopped, though it could take a breather every now and again. Such was the thought flitting through the mind of a chef as he stepped out the back door of his small restaurant to the alley, just looking for a quiet spot to indulge in a smoke break before getting back to the hectic rush of food service on a summer night. Taking a drag, he let the smoke vent through his lips with a push of air that came as easy as blinking, the tension from the past few hours unknotting a little as he did.

Though a slight clatter from a little ways down the alley ruined the good mood, the man hardly seemed surprised at the noise, merely sighing and keeping the cigarette in his mouth as he reached back through the door to grab a small paper bag that had been waiting on the counter. If he peered into the darkness, he could make out a small shape that had just run in from the streets, huddled down in the shadow of some of the garbage cans. Despite the warm weather, his eyes could pick out that the figure was wearing a jacket that was a bit baggy on its short frame, as well as what looked like a hat pulled low over its face.

Quietly he gave a smoky sigh, tapping some of the ash off his cigarette before deciding to make his presence known.

"Hey, kid!"

The effect of his shout was instantaneous, the figure almost rocketing to their feet though they hadn't figured out where the shout came from. The man could see the small head swiveling around before seeming to notice him, and tension settled into the small frame as the shape seemed poised to run. Not that the chef really gave them much chance, tossing the small bag with a call of 'catch!'. Admittedly, if he were hoping to sap some of the strain out of the air, he could have probably picked a better way to go about it, but oh well. The kid still caught the bag at any rate, cautious but still opening it to see what was inside. Light was still poor, but the chef could make out the way in which the small head tilted upward, looking from the contents of the doggie bag to the man still standing by the door tapping more ash off the end of his cigarette. Giving another smoky sigh, the chef decided to take some pity on the small vagabond.

"Relax, kid, I'm not calling the cops on you. Just figured if you're gonna be hanging out in my alley again tonight you oughta at least have something to eat." He doubted the kid would stick around for the cops either; little guy was skittish as a feral cat and no one really wanted to try chasing him down and risk scaring him away for good.

The small head bowed for a few minutes, quietly surveying the meal inside the paper bag; half a chicken sandwich, and a mess of French fries. A moment later he looked up, and though the visibility was still poor the man could feel the incredulous stare of the kid on him.

He gave the small shape a brusque, 'off with you' sort of gesture, quietly stubbing his cigarette out and going back into the kitchen. The figure simply stood there in silence for a moment, before glancing between the bag and the door and letting a small, grateful smile play across his obscured face.

"Thanks."

It was a little too late, but the gratitude slaked some of the little vagabond's need to pay back the chef for his unsolicited help. Glancing behind at the street, the character huddled down in his coat as he quietly padded back to his spot a little ways from the garbage cans. Leaning against the brick of the building, small hands quietly fished out the chicken sandwich and pulled the scarf away from his noseless face to give it a quick, automatic sniff before taking a bite.

The taste of chicken made the small, pale face light up with a contented smile, the rest of the sandwich quickly gone in the next few minutes. Opening the bag again, a white-gloved hand quietly pawed at the fries inside, taking one out to eat before closing the bag and tucking it away into his patchwork, oversized coat. Black, pie-cut eyes blinked slowly, quietly drinking in the brief moment of silence on the warm summer evening. Still, he didn't let himself relax too much, especially at the sound of pedestrians on the sidewalk beyond going by, voices loud as they talked and laughed about something or other that had happened that day.

In fact, he thought as he settled down to rest his arms and chin on folded up knees, perhaps now might be a good time to move on entirely. After all, while the chef's kindness was certainly appreciated, the fact that he had known when the pint-sized vagrant would be stopping by to dig through the trash meant that he'd hit this place one too many times. Maybe it was time to make tracks for a different town, start over again…

Honestly it was the one bit of interesting, positive change that he had, might as well make some use of it. As the small form leaned back against the wall, a quiet flick of motion off to the side had him straighten, briefly frowning as he steered a small, spaded tail back to shelter under his coat.

Yeah, it was definitely time to move on.

With that thought in mind he pushed himself up from the wall, tired from the day's heat and the dodging he'd done to get to this little sanctuary. Still he had to keep going. He could rest once he'd gotten to his hideaway he reassured the part of his brain that cautioned against exhausting himself any further. Black shoes squeaked a little as he skidded out onto the sidewalk, immediately going back into the mindset of dodging around couples, families, partiers, though the exertion was causing some heat to build under the baggy coat, scarf, and knitted hat. By the time he made his way back to the abandoned warehouse that he had taken refuge in, his breath was coming in gasps, and once he was sure no one was around he quickly began peeling off his hat and scarf and unbuttoning his coat, exposing a small, black body and head topped with horns that resembled the ears of a cat, something that would not have looked too out of place on an animation reel from the 1940s. Some of that black had started to dribble down the white face, and the being reached up with a cartoony gloved hand to wipe at the droplet, staring at it for only a moment before sighing and rifling through his coat pockets. Along with the bag of fries he managed to produce a small bottle of ink that only had a little left at the bottom, just enough for a sip.

Alright, maybe a run to the general store in the morning and then he would leave town. Not that the little devil toon really wanted to round off his stay here with stealing, but ink was a precious commodity for him, especially in the months where it could easily be lost in the heat or summer rain. Water was good and all, but nothing let him keep his energy and stamina like ink. Quietly screwing off the cap he threw back the small bit of black liquid and sighed at the modicum of relief it brought, behorned head resettling on his neckless dark body as his eyes closed in a long blink. The light from the city around him was bright, but if he looked to the dark expanse of sky above he could just make out the suggestion of stars.

At least thirty years ago, the thought of such a big, open space overhead would have filled him with some sort of wonder and awe. Now…now it just made him feel tired and empty.

"Sure movin' up in the world, aintcha, Bendy?" He murmured to himself, voice hoarse and littered with quiet, self-aimed bitterness. Why was he even still trying anymore…?

Slinking down to a spot just a few feet away from the open doorway, white-gloved hands worked for a moment to rearrange a few ratty, stained blankets into something that could at least be passably comfortable for the night. Without much fanfare, the little devil quietly collapsed onto the cloth, pulling his coat around himself as a blanket and retaining just enough awareness to pull his hat over his head to hide his unusual features. The scarf he left just off to the side to cushion the fries, and he was asleep within a few moments.

"Bendy…"

"…Huh?" The devil mumbled, shifting under his coat before blinking, looking around before sitting bolt upright. This wasn't the warehouse, the long, poorly lit hallway so familiar to him even though he hadn't seen the like in thirty years.

He was…but how did he get back here, he didn't, what happened, how…?

"Bendy…" The call was quiet, barely above speaking volume, but something about it caused both hope and ice to leap in his stomach. It was another thing that he hadn't heard in so long but memory did not diminish, and he knew exactly who was calling him from somewhere off in the dark.

"Alice?"

"Bendy…" This time the tone changed, sounding more relieved, happy even at the answer. But there was still no sign of the angel in question.

"Alice, where are you? Th-This isn't funny, c'mon out." Bendy squinted, pie-cut eyes trying to sort through the black beyond the small pool of light he was sitting in. He got to his feet, shoes squeaking slightly on the wood as he looked about. Taking a step forward, Bendy stiffened as the angel's voice suddenly lit up with a frightened gasp.

"…stay where you are…"

"…Alice, what's wrong? Why do I gotta-?" Bendy started, before a faint vibration went through the floor under his feet, and a noise came from somewhere off to the right causing Bendy to jump and try to peer fruitlessly through the dark. It sounded like a muffled, sort of high-pitched whine, almost like a dog, or-.

"Boris, buddy, is that- are you alright?"

Another noise, this time somewhere to the left, a low, gurgling groan that also sounded very familiar once Bendy had a moment to process it.

"H-Henry?!"

But no one responded, and Bendy felt his breathing grow stilted in his nonexistent throat. In desperation, he reached out for the one person that had responded to him, calling out to the dark.

"Alice, A-Alice, please, where are you? Where's every-what's going on?"

"…watching…" It was almost too quiet to be heard, and Bendy took a moment to properly process what was said.

"Wh-Who's-?"

And now a new sound came into hearing, seeming to come from all around the small devil. Loud, steady footsteps, like there's someone sauntering casually around just out of Bendy's view. Despite the fact that they're more than loud enough for him to consider clamping his hands over his ears, he kept listening, trying to pinpoint exactly where the person was. The echoing quality to the footfalls stopped that endeavor cold, and Bendy could only shy away from the edges of darkness that seemed to grow closer and closer, pushing him back to the small bundle of cloth that he had initially sprung from. His hands fumbled for a moment before grabbing at his jacket, instinct dictating that he try to hide even if it was only in the ragged shelter of the baggy old coat. As he did, the clacking noise seemed to almost narrow, coming to what seemed like a point somewhere behind the devil.

Then the footsteps abruptly stop, though Bendy was not relieved because there's a new warning emblazoned in his mind. Don't turn around, don't look behind you, it'll get you if you look.

Still, his head turned, mechanically following the partial rotation of his body even as he leaned in the other direction, ready to run.

There's someone standing at the edge of the light, the back of them in shadow, though Bendy can easily make out the prim, polished shoes, and the neat slacks. His eyes traveled upward, taking in the neat, well-dressed, familiar outfit, one that he'd seen plenty of times in those first few years of living, though none of it calmed him or that sensation of dread and trouble that had his insides twisting in knots. Even still, he kept going, eyes going from chest to neck, to **face-**.

And suddenly the devil flailed his way out of the small, makeshift bed he'd set up on the warehouse floor, a rivet of ink running from his brow and his breath coming in frightened pants. Completely disorientated his head swiveled around for a moment as he tried to pick through his surroundings, wondering where the hallway had gone, and why he could see faint sunshine filtering in through a door a few feet away and through the old windows far overhead.

Then reality crashed back in and Bendy just kneeled on the floor for a moment, trying to focus on the sensation of air going through his lungs at a steady pace. Just a bad dream…

Course, he'd never had a dream that bad for years now, and not really one involving the studio for even longer than that. They'd been, kind of bad in the first five years, but after a bit…well, he stopped having them. It wasn't much better than thinking on the dream itself, but the devil latched onto the oddity with more readiness than thinking on, that…

The details of the dream were already fading from his mind, but he distinctly remembered the feeling, a gripping sensation of panic assuring him that his old, long-estranged friends were in trouble. That part, may have been a first. Before, most of the dreams that involved the studio had things like him running down corridors, maybe hearing someone calling him, but…never had anyone sounded like they were hurt before…

The fact that he'd even had this dream now was a little weird to begin with, and shying away from the exact content of it allowed Bendy some more room to consider why it'd cropped up after all this time. He hadn't exactly been thinking of the studio, though his friends were usually on his mind a fair bit.

He hadn't really been thinking of them last night though, at least, not specifically…

Bendy sat for a moment with his head propped on his hands, still feeling faintly tired but too wired from the nightmare to go back to sleep. Besides, it was basically morning, might as well start the day. He grabbed the small paper bag, and after checking it over to make sure nothing had gotten into the fries last night started to dig in. Polishing off the few handfuls that were inside, Bendy quietly eased himself back into his jacket and hat, hiding his tail and carefully wrapping his scarf around his neck over a white bowtie.

The little devil had turned to the door when an odd splotch of color caught his eye, a bit of beige that stood out against grey concrete. There was an envelope propped up against the far side of the doorframe, sitting there as innocently as if it were dropped off by the mailman. And, as Bendy drew closer to the small envelope, he could make out a name scrawled where the address would go.

Problem was, it was his own written there.

That fact alone made the small toon's mind come to a screeching halt, even as the rest of him moved to snatch up the letter and look at the front more closely just to confirm, yes, that was the name 'Bendy' scratched in right there. No smudges, smears, or possibility of a misprint in how it was written. Question was, who the hell would be writing him a letter? And who even knew he was here?

Though there was some suspicion settling uncomfortably like a mass of live snakes in his stomach, jittery white gloves pried open the flap, and produced a slightly dingy and spotted letter. As he read the neat, flowing text, pie-cut pupils steadily shrank, and a chill settled over the small frame despite the warm weather.

 _Dear Bendy,_

 _It has been quite a while since you left home, about thirty years, if I am remembering correctly. Despite my initial worries, it seems as though you have performed sufficiently in caring for yourself. I hope your experience has been quite the enlightening one._

 _The studio has, unfortunately, suffered during the decades in your absence, and everyone has had to make sacrifices to make ends meet. It has been difficult, and not without some costs, but we will persist nonetheless. Boris and Alice have been particularly instrumental in making the studio run smoothly, though I worry that Boris may be pushing himself too hard in trying to help me. He and Alice both have expressed an interest in seeing you again, and Henry has also asked after you, so if you can find the time to make an appearance down at the old studio, it would be greatly appreciated._

 _We all hope to see you soon,_

 _ **~Joey Drew**_

Bendy turned the paper over, examining it and the envelope it came in from every angle before he was forced to conclude that this was no joke. One way or another, his creator had managed to track him down, and though he didn't seem to feel the need to drag the devil back in person, he did leave a, rather compelling letter to come back to the home he hadn't seen in thirty years.

And still, the demon's feelings were mixed. The part of him that did desperately want to go back had leapt to attention the moment Boris, Alice, and Henry were mentioned, especially with the nightmare from before still foggily in mind. He had wanted to bring the other toons with him, but Boris had tried to stall, clearly unwilling to choose, and Bendy couldn't find Alice before he felt he had to leave. Perhaps it was better he hadn't dragged the wolf out with him, even if he were physically able, given how much hardship the devil had had to deal with these past few years.

In his life, especially when the most he could consider beyond tomorrow was a vague idea of where he would hang his hat, Bendy would never have thought that he would be going back to Joey Drew Studios. Not in a million years, he figured after the first decade he would likely be dying on the streets first. But with the letter in hand, and remnants of the dream from last night in mind, what else could he do but go?


	2. Ch1: Where The Demon Sleeps

A/N: Here we are, the rewrite of Chapter 1 through 2! Hoping I was able to still capture the same magic the original had, though it was definitely fun working with the updated layout! If anyone spots any inconsistencies, missing bits, or grammatical errors, feel free to let me know!

As always, Bendy and the Ink Machine belongs to themeatly, and the HATIM AU is the creation of thelostmoongazer on Tumblr! Thanks for clicking!

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Where The Demon Sleeps:

If one had asked Bendy exactly how he had gotten back to the studio, he really couldn't have said much or given particulars. The entire trip to the now old and dingy city was a blur, right up until he stood a block away from the building that he had been made in. As he halted, about to go down the street, the memory of the note still folded messily up in his pocket seemed to break through the haze.

 _We all hope to see you soon_.

The little devil stared at the building, and he couldn't help but be torn between the impulse to run inside, and complete terror at the very thought. The latter was coupled with a certainty that if he went in, he might not come out.

Which had to be at least somewhat silly. Joey was…many things, but he wouldn't kill the devil, surely….

Even still, there was something coming from a dark corner of his brain that could have been home to dreams, memories, or an overactive imagination, that kept an alarm bell steadily droning in the forefront of his mind.

It could have also been helped by the fact that the studio itself, even from this distance, looked far more decrypt than Bendy remembered it being. The windows on the upper levels were boarded up, the varnish cracked and old. He had heard whispers that it had closed down suddenly, though it was something completely different to see the physical evidence in front of him. Clearly the studio hadn't been running for quite a while, and the fact that this was where Joey would have Bendy go had that mental alarm growing just a little stronger. Albeit, even as he thought this his feet carried him down the street as he nervously tugged on his scarf and hat. The devil barely noticed a faded green truck that was parked on the other side of the block as he quickly hurried up to the door before pausing, the dread gumming up his limbs and making his hands so tense they vibrated against the warm summer air.

Bendy stared up at the door, the clashing senses of panic and obligation warring for dominance as the alarm in his mind reached an almost physically audible level.

"HEY, KID, GET AWAY FROM THERE!"

The shout caused the devil to whirl back to the street, a yelp escaping before he had time to smother it. As it turned out, the truck that he had discounted when he'd walked up had not been unoccupied; a man was hurriedly getting out of the driver's seat and making his way over. He did not look or sound particularly happy, and Bendy briefly wondered if the studio wasn't as out of commission as it looked. Still, questions as to whether or not the man was a night guard for a possibly still-running studio really didn't occur to the devil. He just saw the man approaching, and did what came naturally after so many years of being on the streets and avoiding most human contact.

He grabbed the doorknob his fingers had still been hovering in front of, gave it a brisk twist, and opened the door enough that he could slip inside. Bendy slammed the door shut behind him and sprinted down the entrance hall to wait at the end in case the man was able to get in after him. Though it didn't seem to matter, given that he could hear the knob rattle but no click, nothing that heralded the door being thrown open. Which was…odd, he didn't think he locked the door when he closed it.

But when the sounds died, and Bendy carefully padded his way back to the door, he could see that the lock had been flipped so maybe he had somehow?

However, it seemed as though the devil would have to take a hammer to the door to get it to open again; his efforts to turn the lock yielded nothing but sore fingers.

The dread crashed back in, right on the heels of the thoughts that screamed that he was stuck, that this was a bad idea, that he should have just kept running when he had the chance-.

But, no. No. Boris, Alice, Henry…Joey had said in his letter that they were missing him. Meaning they had to at least still be in contact with each other.

He had to at least try to find them, try to figure out what had happened since he left.

 _Since you left them behind…_

Bendy swallowed, resting his head on the door and taking a deep breath before straightening and turning back to the dark and ink-smelling studio.

Strange as it was, things still looked familiar enough. The devil's feet knew where he wanted to go before his mind did. He went into the large front room, turning left and going down a small hall into an office he knew well despite having last seen it thirty odd years prior. The rarely used door on the right had been stripped off, leaving the open frame bare. In the left-hand corner, a drawing desk sat just the same as he remembered, and after a moment of thought he took a closer look at some of the papers. A drawing of his smiling face sat tacked on the wooden surface, with a smaller note stuck to the side reading simply 'no' in big block letters.

"You an' me both, pal." Bendy couldn't help saying as his face gave ground to a wane, weary grin. It immediately fell a little when he glanced to the side and caught sight of an odd outline next to the desk.

It was a promotional cutout of himself, smiling down at him from a few inches over his own head. Clad simply in just the trademark white bowtie, the painted, two-dimensional face of the small toon's cardboard counterpart grinned a little ominously in the low light. At first, the fact that the cutout was tucked away here of all places befuddled the devil, until he remembered that people likely didn't care about where they put things once everything shut down.

Still, something about it just seemed, off, somehow. Like there was something about it staring him straight in the face.

The feeling unnerved him enough to leave, though when Bendy turned around he properly noticed the open doorway opposite the desk. He could just make out the shapes of another animation room, his feet cautiously taking him over to the threshold as his eyes readjusted to the dark. He could make out the faint shadows of desks, small discs of light present on a few. There was a light beaming down on another desk sitting in the far corner, drawing Bendy's attention to it. He padded over, taking care not to trip over the small step to a raised part of the floor. As the little devil came closer, he could see that the light illuminated a picture on the desk, one of himself. The demon in the image was tail-less, arms spread as though welcoming or surprising someone, and staring off to the upper right-hand corner of the page. Bendy didn't recognize the drawing style as Henry's, though granted it had been a while.

And, either way, it didn't help him much right now. A quick glance behind him brought the devil another interesting sight; what looked like a small bathroom with the door missing, instead blocked by planks of wood…nailed on the inside of the door frame? Stepping away from the desk, Bendy edged closer, peering through the boards to see the ultimately empty bathroom occupied by only a toilet, trash can, and another Bendy cutout tucked away in the corner. The last got a quizzical blink in and of itself, as the devil toon could think of no reason why it would be left in that particular spot, with the room boarded up like it was…

…Maybe he was just overthinking it? It seemed so small in retrospect, but the two odd nuggets of information just made the devil gnaw at the image like a stubborn dog with a bone. Trying to peer at what he could from this end didn't reveal anything, and he didn't want to try climbing through just in case he ended up getting stuck, so he tried to turn his attention back to the room. It was only when he did that Bendy realized…the picture he'd just been looking at on the easel didn't look quite the same as he remembered it. The arms were still outspread, but the post had changed entirely; now it looked like the devil on the page was coming out of a tumble, arms spread wide with his hands splayed open.

It looked similar to what he remembered seeing, but it definitely wasn't the same drawing. And there had been no sound, nothing that would indicate that a page was being flipped, or anything.

But, if nothing had moved, then how did the drawing change?

The thought brought an icy, squirming feeling to the center of the devil's guts, pushing him to make a hasty exit, and Bendy hurried back out into the front room that he'd passed through before. He frowned a little at the sight of a projector pointed at the back wall and just, running with nothing playing, along with the reels on the opposite wall, the clicking noises of the mechanisms loud in the quiet-.

Wait, quiet. That was, well, part of where the unnerving-ness was coming from. Even from his earliest days here Bendy could remember the constant hum of machinery through the walls, to the point that he had come to regard it as white noise. Granted, if the building really was abandoned, then the ink machine likely wouldn't be running, but if everyone had really left, then why had Joey told him to come back here? Heck, if Joey was here, then how on earth had he let the ink machine get turned off? From what Bendy remembered, the man had been almost fanatical about keeping the thing running, to the point that people often complained that he let other repairs go unchecked for too long just to pay more attention to the needs of the ink machine.

Unfortunately that hadn't extended to the pipes funneling the ink through the building, so people often had their work cut out for them dealing with that.

Still, the lack of noise made Bendy wonder if the ink machine was even still here at all, and well, only one way to find out. Heading down the other hall, Bendy almost walked past the small alcove before something dark on the far wall caught his eye, causing him to stop and take a few steps back. There emblazoned on the wall in dark ink was the phrase ' **DREAMS COME TRUE** ', scrawled over what looked like a bunch of empty animation cells.

That was definitely new. Though Joey didn't really seem to care what happened to the building, he probably wouldn't have wanted someone just writing some bunk on the walls. Though, now that he was taking in the words, Bendy was pretty sure he heard Joey saying something to this effect at least a few times. Not very often, and usually it was slipped into conversation with others, but the devil distinctly remembered when Henry had been telling him about how he and Joey met, how the studio head had gotten him into animation by encouraging him to 'follow his dreams' or something similar. It had surprised the devil initially, but in retrospect, Joey had always been a very determined sort of person when it came to pursuing what he wanted…

 _Ah, geez, Henry_ … Bendy quietly shook himself out of the reverie and made to push on. He could try to figure out what that meant later. Right now, he had to find Joey.

As Bendy walked down the hall he paused at one of the office doors, under which a light filtered out from. Blinking at the odd sight the devil quietly approached, his ears picking up the sounds of something playing music. Perhaps it was Joey, but something kept him from simply knocking or trying the handle. Not that his old standards of eavesdropping really told him much; the keyhole seemed to be stopped up and peering under the door just gave him a very limited view of what looked like the legs of a desk and a chair. Hardly a sign of life, but he supposed they could be standing on the far sides of the room, where he would have trouble seeing them unless they moved.

Well, since scuttling around on the floor wasn't telling him much of anything, Bendy decided to get a little bolder. Pushing himself up to stand, one white glove latched itself around the doorknob with all of the stealth it could muster. However, efforts to turn the thing revealed that it also had a bad case of being very much locked. This…was not really relieving, given that while Bendy could understand someone maybe leaving the lights on, having both the lights and a radio playing seemed to stretch the boundaries of what would seem plausible to forget on a final sweep. Not to mention, where was any of that getting power from? The devil might not know much regarding buildings but he did know, mostly through experience, that the abandoned stuff rarely if ever had electricity flowing.

Stranger and stranger, and not the least bit inviting. Still he couldn't just leave, and the other thing that he'd come to see was still lying in wait for him at the end of the hall, around another corner. The plaque on the top before it was simple enough, the black lettering spelling out the words 'INK MACHINE' in clear, legible text. He could even see the chart that he remembered Wally writing on a few times, recording how many gallons of ink were coming from the machine. The last entry was for 423, though the initials at the bottom weren't that of the janitor. T.C? Who was that?

Well, it might have been a mystery, but it wasn't one that Bendy felt he had to solve just yet. Turning to go further, the devil rounded the corner and hopped over a pipe running parallel to the floor, turning again to come into the cavernous room's catwalk. He'd only been allowed in here a few times, though even those had been enough for the devil to know that something about the room was definitely wrong. For starters, the ink machine itself was not actually present. There was just the chains and the shaft it was supposed to be in. Looking to his left, Bendy could see what looked like some sort of power box on a shelf, along with a trunk. To his right was the switch to lower and raise the machine, along with the, generator, or lift, that ran the winch. The room was also in more disrepair than Bendy remembered, with a few holes in the ceiling that had light gently streaming through.

Movement down over the railing of the catwalk caught Bendy's attention, and a quick glance showed him another running machine that might have been a generator of some kind. That might've been what was running the power in this place. Question is, who'd have turned it on?

Still, that wasn't the main issue at hand. The ink machine was. It didn't take a genius to figure out how he was to get it, but there was only the one power cell. Where was the other one? In the lull, Bendy reached for the one he'd noticed on the shelf, struggling a little with the bulky heaviness of the thing. Thankfully it didn't require too much effort to levy into place, clicking in easily as could be. Not to mention, Bendy now had a thought as to where the other might be located. A quick check of the trunk yielded that it was unlocked, and contained the second power cell along with a gear and a few cans. Breyer Label bacon soup, more of Joey's merchandising ideas. It wasn't terrible, and Bendy would probably say that after thirty years of living on the street he'd definitely encountered worse things culinary-wise. Didn't mean that there weren't better things than that, though…

Once the second power cell was put into place, the only thing left for Bendy to do was to pull the switch, the chains chinking as they drew up through the shaft.

Following them up from the darkness was the imposing, metallic shape of the ink machine, the mechanisms giving one last gasp before grinding to a halt as the boxy, gear-riddled hulk rose above the lip of the shaft, enough that the pipes and hoses attached to the bottom could be seen. For some reason, Bendy couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by it, not even just because of the vast difference in size between him and it. In the days when the studio had been still up and running, the ink machine would be constantly churning away, and producing ink which came out the spigot on the front. The few instances in the devil's memory that it had been turned off for any sizeable length of time ended in an entire day where the thing would do nothing but make loud, pretty horrific noises. Joey told him later that it had been because of some backup in the machine from not being run.

But, even with the explanation, Bendy had not been entirely pacified and neither had Boris. It hadn't been helped by the fact that everyone, animator and maintenance worker alike tip-toed around the thing for the following week. It was almost a more paranoid version of the usual behavior involving the machine; people definitely didn't like working with it very much and would often find excuses to avoid dealing with it directly.

Not that Bendy could say he blamed them, as even now something about the ink machine seemed off, even more so now that it hung silent and looming in the open room. It had never been quiet, not since-

 _-whirring and clunking that seemed loud enough to pop his eardrums, Bendy almost wanted to cover his ears though his body felt heavy and resisted his attempts to move. However, as he tried to shift, the sounds began to lessen to a few creaking clanks before stopping entirely, and in the yawning quiet he could make out the sound of…footsteps? But instead of just normal left-foot, right-foot it was left-foot, thunk, right-foot, like something was hitting the floor in between strides. The little devil finally managed to pry his eyelids open, his first view of the world blurry and swimming though he could make out shapes moving at the edges of his vision. The figure did something and a sudden chill wafted over the small toon, causing him to fumblingly curl up with a shiver and a whine._

 _"Now, now, is that any way to greet your maker?"_

 _Maker? The little devil tried to angle his head to get a better look at the shape, the person, but his vision was still foggy, and the room was not very well lit, only a few flickering candles about for light. It grew bigger, the sounds indicating that the person, whoever they were, was coming closer. The small toon fought the urge to ball up tighter, though his tail flicked close to his form. And suddenly someone was touching him, turning him over onto his back and lifting the upper part of his body. Bendy groaned at the sudden shift (and also their hands were cold!), though his eyes were finally able to make out some features of his 'maker'._

 _The first thing Bendy noticed was the dark eyes looking intently at him from behind circular glasses, windswept black hair long enough to the point of almost obscuring the man's vision. He also looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, the signs of stubble clear around his chin, the sides of his face, and on his top lip. The man's expression was hard to puzzle out as he stared at the toon's pie-cut eyes, almost as though waiting for the devil to do something. Bendy blinked, before reaching up with a shaking, white gloved hand to the man's face, fingers brushing against the pale skin for a moment before the man quietly took the small hand in his unoccupied one, a thumb rubbing back and forth over the tiny knuckles as a soft, awed smile broke through the impassive veneer._

 _"There you are. Hello, Bendy."_

 _Bendy found his own face pulling a grin in response, though at the word, a name, his name?, he frowned, brow furrowing as he worked his jaw and vocal chords to speak._

 _"Be'nny?" He said at first before he tried again, this time a little slower. "Ben-dy?"_

 _"Yes, Bendy. That's you." The man replied softly, though his smile fell a little at the need to clarify what he was saying. The little devil nodded to show he'd understood, before a yawn forced its way from his mouth and caused his body to stretch against the hand propping him upright. As pie-cut eyes blinked dozily against a newfound wave of tiredness, a faint chuckle came from the face overhead._

 _Without really much prompting the man adjusted his hold on Bendy before lifting the small toon up to be propped against his shoulder, a small squeak at the shifting being the only bit of noise. Though the movement had initially startled the little devil, he quickly burrowed his face into the coat the man was wearing; the material scratchy, but at the very least warm against the still prevalent chill. As the man began to move, the noise of footstep-thunk-footstep started again, the strange rhythm lulled Bendy into a sound sleep-_

-And back in the present the little devil shook himself, snapping out of the momentary daze as his brain caught up with the rest of him. He hadn't thought about that in, honestly a long, long time, but it could probably be expected that the familiar settings were drawing some of those old memories out.

But, even if these settings were familiar, they still left him back at square one; in a locked, abandoned building with seemingly no one, though Bendy had the distinct feeling that there was more to everything than he was seeing.

Still didn't help though, if anything it left the devil more frustrated at the whole thing, the tension in his gut winding steadily like a trap waiting to be set off. Letting out a gusty, annoyed sigh, Bendy turned to go back out the way he came. Maybe there was some hint down the other hall…

The devil caught sight of another cut out leaned up against the wall behind the trunk, giving it only a glance before he headed out the door, over the pipe, and took a right down the adjoining hall. If he remembered right, the 'offerings' that Joey had set up, supposedly to help keep the ink machine running, were in the break room, which was down this hall, make another right…

And right in between another animator's desk and what looked like some sort of stall with a gear, a few reels, and another cut out, the little devil passing all of it to hurry on.

Still glancing about Bendy continued, only to jump out of his skin as a board dropped from the ceiling at the juncture ahead with an absurdly loud crash that reverberated through the empty halls. The devil threw himself against the wall at the noise, a hand coming up to pull at the fabric of his coat as though to waylay his heart trying to eject itself from his chest cavity in fright.

The sight of the offending bit of wood did cause the tension to ease down some, though Bendy still took a minute to get his breathing back under control, noting how a small drip of ink seeped out from under his hat. He was letting himself get too jumpy, it was just a loose board, probably plenty of them around here. The place looked like it was falling apart anyway, perhaps he should merely be surprised it took this long for something to break…

Casting a wary glance at the ceiling above the hall, Bendy padded along as quietly as he could muster, taking the right at the juncture and making his way into the break room.

Which was…empty. Well, mostly, the switch was still there on the far side of the room, the panel next to it flashing the warning 'low pressure' against a black background. But from what he remembered there should be more tables, chairs, maybe a place for coffee, that sort of thing. But it looked like everything had been stripped out a long time ago, just leaving the six pedestals in their respective spots. All of these, though, were empty. The offerings were gone, either locked away somewhere or having been removed from the studio entirely.

"This is a waste of time…" Bendy couldn't help muttering to himself, even though there was no one present to commiserate to. Still, the spoken affirmation to the thought that this was all some merry goose-chase joke being played on him made the irritation well up like blood from a cut. Even though a small part of him wondered that if this was a joke, who the hell even knew he existed, and knew this much, to pull something like this.

Even with paranoia whispering into the devil's subconscious, Bendy turned on his heel and trudged back out the way he came, head down and an irritated growl twisting his mouth as he fought to keep down far more than just a verbal observation regarding the situation. If this was some kind of a joke, then the jokester in question better pray the toon devil didn't catch up to him, because Bendy was more than willing to give this idiot a piece of his mi- _whatinblazeswasthat_?!

When Bendy had rounded the corner to leave the break room, the last thing he'd expected was to see someone standing in the juncture, especially when there had been no sound in the studio, no apparent sign that anyone else was even walking the halls. But, lo and behold, there was a figure standing there, causing the devil to leap back behind the corner to give himself more distance. However, upon peering out, the toon noticed that the shape had a distinct grin, and familiar, pointed horns that looked very memorable to the little devil, because he'd seen the exact same thing just a few moments ago.

It was a Bendy cutout, sitting innocently in the hall as though it had been placed there from the start, which it hadn't been as the devil was sure he would have noticed it when he'd walked through earlier. It hadn't even been remotely close as far as he knew. And even if it had been pushed off down the other hall, how'd it get right to the center of the hallway?

…It, it had to be a joke, right? Cardboard didn't move around on its own (though a somewhat snarky part of Bendy reminded him that the same could be said of ink), but if someone had been carrying the cutout, wouldn't he have heard them walking around? In this quiet, he would have at least heard some footfalls, or the sound of them putting the thing down. Especially given that the wood at the back weighted the cardboard down, and Bendy remembered having some difficulty moving them.

Unless, it wasn't a person moving them…

Stepping warily out from the corner, Bendy walked slowly around the cut out, staring at it like it might move if he took his eyes off it for too long. However, the lights flickering in a room down the other hall caught his attention, and as the devil's pie-cut eyes turned to the source of the blinking lights, he caught sight of a very familiar figure strapped to what looked like some sort of table.

"Boris-?" Bendy called, voice slightly hoarse. His feet wasted no time in carrying him forward, eager as he was to see a friendly face. Albeit something pricked at the corner of his mind, whispering that something was wrong, why wasn't Boris calling out to or answering him, but for the moment exhilaration shoved the concerns away.

"Are you alright? Who tied you up?" Came tumbling out of his mouth before Bendy really had the chance to think over what he was saying. "Y'should've said somethin', pal, I woulda-!"

Just as he got over the threshold, the lights came on and stayed on uninterrupted, and Bendy immediately saw exactly why Boris wasn't answering. Black stained everywhere, great splotches and puddles all around the wolf's form. The straps sagged slightly as they tried to hold up the weight of the canid toon, the head hanging down over the one binding the neck, the eyes crossed out like they would be in a cartoon, if the character was-.

And…on the wolf's chest were lines of white that were out of place, Boris was solid black after all. The gleaming rigidness of them confirmed Bendy's initial, detached observation that they were the taller toon's ribs…and immediately his stomach gave a lurch, the devil clamping a hand to his mouth as a heave forced its way through. Bendy felt his legs wobble, causing him to reach out to the doorframe like it was the last, stable thing in the world, clinging to it with the desperation of a drowning man as he let himself slide to kneel on the floor. His head bowed, ink and tears starting to drip as a sob pushed its way through a very constricted throat. Words also slipped through before Bendy really registered what he was saying. The sounds blurred with the sobs that were coming one after the other but things started to come back into focus enough for him to realize that he'd been apologizing as though the wolf could still hear him. Which was silly because Boris was…

Was…

Bendy looked up at the prone wolf again, this time focusing on the whole, sordid scene in front of him, rather than the bite-sized chunks he had been trying to process before. It looked no better, the sheer gruesomeness of the whole thing further cementing the horrible, horrible idea that if Boris were conscious for…whatever happened, then he would have likely been in agony before actually dying.

The thought sent dozens of others into motion in Bendy's mind; was this what Joey had meant, what the hell had the man, if this even was Joey's work, been doing that required this of all things, where the hell was Alice, had something even worse happened to her…

Bendy suddenly paused, taking his shaking hand away from his mouth as something occurred to him. His fingers twitched towards his pocket, but he didn't take the letter out again; he could easily remember what that one line had said.

 _The studio has, unfortunately, suffered during the decades since your absence, and everyone has had to make sacrifices to make ends meet._

He knew something was wrong, had let it chase him out the door, but hadn't tried beyond asking Boris to come with him to get either of the other two toons to leave. He didn't even wait for Henry to come in that morning, maybe he could have explained it to the man and then Henry could have taken them all away, somewhere far, far away from this horrible place…

 _You were foolish_ , the devil's thoughts whispered. _You thought you were the only one in trouble, you were selfish and look what happened. Boris is dead because of you, and Alice could be too._

 _ **This is all your fault**_.

Bendy was not sure precisely how long he sat there, just that his legs were starting to grow stiff by the time he felt able to move again. He tried to avoid looking too closely again at the…body, but his averted eyes catch another bit of horror scrawled onto the wall to his right.

 **WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?**

Not him, that's for sure. Even though part of him wanted to be as far away from this place as possible, another, much louder piece declared that he shouldn't just leave Boris here, strung up like some sort of horrific trophy. Bendy should at least, try to get him down, right?

It's the least he can do…

Albeit Bendy wasn't even sure how to go about doing that, and glancing around revealed nothing that would be helpful. No levers, buttons, or anything else that might lower the slab Bor-, the body was on. A few tentative tugs at the straps hardly yielded anything either; they were on too tight, and Bendy was pretty sure he couldn't catch the other toon. Even with…

Fighting down a shudder, the devil toon looked down, eyes landing on a patch of earthen floor out of which a small plant was growing. The sight was so paradoxical Bendy couldn't help but stare for a moment. Giving himself a shake, the toon snapped out of his trance, moving around the slab to look at the back. A faint sound started to become audible in the devil's ears, almost like a hissing, or whispering, but Bendy pushed the observation to the side for the moment so he could take stock. The one thing he did find was a pipe running straight into the back of the board, and presumably Boris by extension. Judging from the coloring, and the ink seeping from the bottom, it was one of the many pipes around the studio used to funnel ink everywhere from the ink machine.

As soon as that processed, a strange, almost ludicrous idea started to take root in Bendy's mind, fueled by the memory of the multiple times ink had been used to patch him and the other toons up when they'd hurt themselves, to make him feel better if he dripped too much, it becoming a resource so precious that it was the one thing the devil would steal that wasn't food or water while on the streets…

It couldn't work, not for this surely, things were too far gone, he was deluding himself, trying to give himself false hope…

But…

…what if he wasn't? What if the idea not just could, but would in fact work?

What if he could fix this?

Bendy walked back around, eyes quietly roving up his best friend's mangled and silent frame, a hand coming out to shakily grasp at the edge of the table, right next to where Boris's own, long-fingered hands lay, lifeless and still.

It was a desperate idea, perhaps born out of the vain thought of trying to somehow cleanse his conscience along with making it up to his best friend, so maybe Bendy could tell him in person just how sorry he was…

But he had to try, right? He had to try, for Boris.

He wouldn't abandon his friend again…

Taking a few steps back, Bendy turned away from the sordid scene with a new purpose in mind. He needed ink, a lot of it, and the only place he knew he could get it…was the ink machine. Which was currently turned off.

Well, obviously he'd have to turn it back on, but the first thing he'd need to go about checking was where the offerings were. Hopefully they were just stuck somewhere and not gone entirely…

Wait, wait wait wait, he knew where some of them were! Or at the very least, he knew where one of them was, and if that one was still here, then…!

Even with that revelation pumping through his ink, Bendy still refrained from running back to the juncture, instead trying a door to the left of where he'd come in, throwing a wary glare at the back of the cutout as he went. He was a little reluctant to turn his back on the thing, though now thinking on it if he did happen to catch it moving, then what would he do?

Well, there would probably be screaming involved. And running, though Bendy wasn't sure how the mechanics of that kind of a chase would work. Thinking on it brought the sudden image of the cutout gliding soundlessly on the floor behind him, so Bendy forced himself to put that thought on hold before he made himself the first case of a toon suffering from a heart attack.

Thankfully, the room Bendy entered was more or less the same as the animating room behind Henry's office, quiet but dotted with desks and chairs here and there. There were also a few boxes, making the devil wonder if this was another place where everyone had packed things away once they'd left. He didn't see anything worth noting in there, apart from a door to the left at what looked like the end of a kind of hallway. As he approached, Bendy found himself having a brief flash of intuition at where exactly this was going to open up to. He was proven right upon seeing the hallway leading back to the other part of the studio, with the ink machine room to the left and the animation foyer to the right. His new perspective did cause him to see that a door he'd walked past earlier, the one after the office that had had light coming out, was now ajar.

Had it always been like that…? While the thought did foster some guarded paranoia, Bendy's memories of the studio weren't so faded that he didn't have some foggy idea as to where this one lead. Padding over, the devil pushed the door open all the way as quietly as he could, looking out on a staircase leading down into a large room. Even though a lot of the furnishings and life had long-since ebbed out of the room, the tables and chairs were familiar enough-.

\- _For the toons, the times when the break room was cleared for them to romp around in was pure joy. Even more so when Wally, after helping them move the furniture one day, managed to produce a small ball from his pocket, giving it to the incredulous pair. Looking at the small sphere rolling about in his hands, Boris quietly lowered the ball so that Bendy could see too, before looking at Wally as though the janitor had some further nugget of information to give._

" _What's that look for?" Wally asked, confusion flickering across freckled features at the lost stares he was getting._

" _I-It's nice, Wally-." Boris started, Bendy cutting in a moment later._

" _-Bu' what're we s'pposed t'do with it?"_

" _What're y's'ppose t'- It's a ball, guys, you bounce it, throw it, whatever you want!"_

 _"Oh…" Boris hummed, letting Bendy reach up and grab the ball. The little devil looked at the ball before letting it fall, and found himself utterly amazed when it easily bounced back up. His efforts to catch it went a little awry, though Bendy was able to grab it before he sent it hurtling under the staircase, Wally chuckling a little at the relieved look flashing across the devil's face._

 _"Why don't you two take some time to figure out how t'play catch? Holler if y'need anything, I'll be right upstairs!"_

 _"Okay, Wally!" Boris replied cheerily, watching the janitor thump back up the steps before the sound of rubbery bouncing caught his ear, the wolf looking down just in time to see Bendy dropping and catching the ball as it rebounded off the floor. The smaller toon was beginning to faintly smile as his movements grew more and more sure, though he was quickly aware of Boris's eyes on him. However, looking from the wolf to the ball suddenly lit an idea in the devil's mind, his smile turning faintly into a smirk before he acted on the impulse._

 _"Hey, pal? Catch!" The mischievous devil punctuated his words by lightly tossing the ball up at Boris, the taller toon's hands flying up to catch the ball before it could bop him on the nose. Though he did manage to grab it, Boris's hands still clunked into his face. By the time the wolf felt able to lower them, Bendy had already darted across the room, utterly unheeding of the affronted whine following in his wake from the canid toon._

 _"Ben-dy, that wasn't fair!"_

 _"Well, look at it this way, pal, you can try 'n get me next!" To emphasize his point, Bendy began to leap up and down, arms waving as he tried to cajole the wolf into throwing the ball back._

 _"I don't wanna hit you though!" Boris cried, completely confused by the devil's words and his behavior. The response caused Bendy to halt for a confused beat before he clarified._

 _"No, pal, catch! Throw it back! You're not gonna hit me, promise!" A brief pause, before the smaller toon seemed to realize that throwing it like he had probably didn't endear the wolf to the idea any, and put in an addition. "'m sorry for throwin' it at you like that, pal!"_

 _Even with the apology Boris seemed a little doubtful, though he still lobbed the ball cautiously over. It bounced once against the ground before Bendy was able to catch it, the devil hopping a little to grab it. Bendy looked up, a smile taking root as he tossed the ball easily back. Boris too started to get into the mood once it became clear that it was not just a one-up, that it was a game. A few more lobs back and forth and a lot of the nervous jerkiness had started to vanish as the pair grew more and more entrenched in their play, their positions starting to shift to opposite sides of the room. Boris was still controlling his throws, but they were getting progressively harder as Bendy proved he was able to catch them._

 _The mood took a sudden about-face, when Bendy caught a particularly hard throw from Boris, the force of which caused him to stumble back into a cutout that had been propped up against the staircase. The devil completely fell back onto the cardboard, bending it against the stairs and causing the head to fold and break off. Even though he was already moving at the first sign of trouble, the clatter of the cutout falling apart made Boris dash to the other end of the room, knees crashing against the floor as he knelt next to the startled devil._

 _"Ben, I'm sorry, are you okay, I didn' mean t'-!"_

 _"'m fine, Boris." Bendy tried to say, and he wasn't lying. He was more stunned by the suddenness of how events changed than hurt, but he barely had time to elaborate or calm the wolf down before a clatter came from the top of the staircase. Bendy couldn't see exactly who'd come in, but judging from the clopping coming down the stairs, and the look on Boris's face as he took in who was descending, he could guess._

 _The expression on Joey's face made something in the devil's stomach freeze, though the trance was broken as Boris let slip a whimper before withdrawing entirely, standing up like an accused man in front of a judge as the studio head approached. The sight forced the devil to his feet, the ball falling from his hands as he moved to stand in front of Boris._

 _"Joey, it wasn' his fault, I threw it too hard first-."_

 _"Where did the two of you get this?" The studio head's question as he prodded the ball with his cane cut right through Bendy's hastily constructed defense, the pair stymied as they scrambled to catch up._

 _"Uh…"_

 _"W-We…"_

 _"Come on, one of you must have gotten it from someone." Joey barked as he bent to pick up the ball, making the pair jump. Before they could say a thing, the sound of someone else coming to the top of the stairs rang out, most likely drawn in by the racket._

 _"Hey, everything alright down…there…?" Wally's initial call faded at the sight of Joey, the studio head looking up at the janitor with the ball held out in his hand._

 _"Franks, just clean up the mess down here. Now, where did you get this from? One of you has to know."_

 _"Wait, Mr. Drew!" Wally spoke up as he came down the stairs, somehow not flinching or turning away as Joey's baleful stare turned to him. "That's mine, I gave it t'em, thought it'd be better if they had somethin' t'do while I was cleanin' upstairs."_

 _"…I see." The studio head replied after a moment, during which the toons still pinned under Joey's gaze fidgeted like someone had held their feet to a roaring fire. "Alright, Franks. You probably ought to take this back. If anything, I think a point has been made here."-_

-It was almost the same, surprisingly enough, barring the addition of some curtains in between the beams. There were even things on the tables, Bendy carefully maneuvering about the room as he came close to see. Some of them had his face on them, they were scrapbooks of animation stills if Bendy was remembering correctly, but there was one set aside from the rest that caught the devil's attention, a black hardcover with the title _The Illusion of Living_.

Well, if you were going to hide a book somewhere, where better to hide it than with a bunch of other books? Bendy had to at least concede that the idea was relatively foolproof, even if it also made him wonder if there was some other offering somewhere, maybe tucked out of sight? Checking the closet, Bendy found nothing but stacks of soup cans.

Peering around some more also drew the little devil's attention to a nook at the far end of the room, one that he noticed was boarded up. The more noteworthy observation was that it sounded like there was some sort of machine running down there, maybe another generator for the lights? Whatever it was, it was making some sort of flickering, illuminating a sign on the far wall reading, **DANGER, KEEP OUT**.

A thought suddenly occurred to Bendy, making him back away from the boards and head towards the stairs with the book in hand. Namely, if there were machines running, then there had to be someone in the studio maintaining them. And he hadn't even seen another living soul yet.

It was the sort of situation that desperately needed a plan, though the best Bendy found himself able to come up with was get the offerings, save Boris, and then try to break the door down. Despite the internal screaming that that was hardly a plan, the devil pushed the thoughts aside as he got to the landing, remembering the initial thought he'd had regarding the location of at least one of the offerings. It wasn't too hard, really, he'd seen it before.

Hopping back over the pipe, Bendy made his way back to the ink machine room, heading straight to the trunk and levying the gear into his arms along with the book. The two items together made it a little hard to get back over the pipe, but Bendy still managed it, speed-walking to put the offerings on their respective pedestals.

Hands free, he went back the way he'd come, turning right to go into the animation foyer instead of back into the break room. As Bendy came back up on the office he'd tried to get into earlier, the light coming from under the door suddenly flicked off, the click of a light switch loud enough that he jumped with a breathy gasp, legs working on overtime to quickly carry him past the slab of wood as though something were about to burst forth and give chase.

 _Everythin's goin' nuts, this was a mistake, it's all wrong wrong wrong I need to get outgetoutgetout-!_ The toon's mind screamed, just as a calmer, more mournful line of thought went _for Boris for Boris for Boris don't run don't leave them behind_ _ **all your fault**_.

Swallowing back a terrified whimper and another squeeze of guilt to his guts the toon pressed on, moving a little faster than before.

He decided to quickly check the alcove next, rewarded by the discovery of the wrench propped up against the nearer wall, next to a door. Perhaps a little earlier the devil might have tried the handle but now he just passed the slab of wood a look and moved back out into the front room. Immediately cutting across to Henry's office, Bendy briefly paused at the sight of the cutout still in its place against the wall. He didn't let himself think on it much, instead focusing on the fact that there was nothing here that looked like one of the offerings. Which lead him to check the room behind Henry's office, and where he spotted the familiar inkwell tucked in on the lower plank of the desk with the plain paper drawing on it. It was only when Bendy crossed the room to get it that he noticed that the drawing had changed again, his ink-and-paper counterpart lying on his stomach with his head resting on his hands, as though he were inquisitive as to what the three-dimensional version of the devil was up to.

His grip around the inkwell becoming dangerously tight along with the spanner in his other hand, Bendy retreated from the desk, not daring to turn around until he'd gotten to the step leading back up to the door. Hurrying through the foyer, Bendy didn't let himself calm down until he was putting the offerings back on their pedestals. Taking count, the devil's head nearly spun like a top as he picked out what was still missing. He was almost done, just two more, the doll and the record. They had to be around here somewhere, right? The others had been, after all.

With the new objective in mind, the devil left the break room. It was only when he walked through the juncture that he realized that the cutout that had been sitting there was gone.

The simple observation caused the devil to come to a complete halt, eyes widening for a moment as the thought sunk in. Turning, he gave the intersection another long look just to confirm that yes, it was definitely gone from the hallway entirely, not even sitting in front of the, the other room. Even peering back down the hallway he'd come gave no hints as to where it had gone, everything as rundown and silent as it had been beforehand. Someone could have come out and moved it while he'd been in the downstairs break room, the front room, or even Henry's office. But still, Bendy was sure he'd have heard at least something, footsteps, anything. Henry had often remarked that the walls of the studio were paper-thin, and the small toon could only surmise that that quality had grown worse with time and disrepair. So, why hadn't he heard anything?

He, didn't have an answer. At least, not one that he really felt comfortable considering when it was just him by himself in here with no idea as to what he was facing, if he was facing anything.

On a last whim, Bendy tried to look up at the ceiling, just in case through some crazy freak of nature it had somehow gotten up there. He ended up having his hat partially in his eyes for his trouble, but at the very least he could report that the ceiling was cutout free. So, where had it gone?

Not that he was really itching to find out, and with no hints, Bendy was forced to drop it. He was almost done, he just had to remember that. Then he could help Boris, and if all went well they could try breaking down the door and absconding the studio, come back at a later date to figure the rest out.

As the devil toon came out into the hallway, with the still-open door to his right and the corridor leading back to the ink machine and animation department to his left, it suddenly struck him that there was a whole part to the floor that he'd not explored yet. And, from what he'd seen, there hadn't been any sign of the record or the doll anywhere else.

Bendy almost wanted to think something to the effect of 'what's the worst that could happen' regarding the situation, but given what he'd seen he hardly wanted to tempt fate any more than he currently was. His memories told him that there were a few rooms, mostly other offices, but ultimately the hallway should end at a theater room. It seemed simple enough, but given that Bendy was facing down the prospect of walking through the now-decrypt corridors alone he was decidedly less than enthusiastic. Still, with nowhere else to look, he knew he'd have to try it.

Bendy walked past the doorway leading back to the ink machine, almost carrying on through another little alcove before something odd caught his attention, causing him to stop and look back. There was a small table sitting in between a pair of doors, on which was resting what looked like a tape deck. He remembered seeing a few of the gadgets in shop windows from time to time. But, why would there be a tape deck in here, especially given that he was pretty sure there hadn't been any tape decks back in the day? From the looks of things, there was a tape inside, cajoling Bendy to reach for the play button. Immediately the room filled with a very familiar voice, one that had the devil tilting his head as he settled down to listen.

 _"At this point, I don't get what Joey's plan is for this company. The animations sure aren't being finished on time anymore, and I certainly don't see why we need this machine. It's noisy, it's messy, and who needs that much ink anyway? Also, get this, Joey had each one of us donate something from our work stations. We put them on little pedestals in the break room. To help appease the gods, Joey says. Keep things going. I think he's lost his mind, but, hey, he writes the checks. But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm out of here."_

And with that, the recording clicked off, though Bendy had already placed the voice of the person speaking. That had been Wally, Wally Franks. While he and Wally had never been particularly close, at least not in the same way he and Henry had been, the man had been kind to him, Boris, and even Alice when she came along, often leaving food for them to eat after hours. The rest of it certainly sounded like the janitor, given that Bendy was pretty sure that out of everyone in the studio, Wally more often than not ended up having to deal with the mess the ink machine caused given his job. The bit that had been news was the mention of the offerings being used to 'appease the gods'; Joey had never mentioned anything like that to him, but the man had certainly been protective of the objects, seeming to consider them as extensions of the ink machine. Still, Bendy couldn't help but feel like there would have been more of a mention of the ink machine itself if this had been after he was made, so maybe the recording was from sometime beforehand…? It didn't really help him much, not with what he needed to do. Hopping down off the chair, Bendy continued on.

With two right turns, he was standing in the theater room, the place just dark enough for it to be uncomfortable. Mitigating the foggy black was an emergency light tucked into the little nook for the projectionist to sit in at the back, the dull glow lighting up the shelves on the far wall. It was enough that the small black outline of the Bendy toy was easily visible atop the tallest shelf. Problem was, how would he get up there?

Well, just looking at the shelves gave him some ideas, and Bendy wasted no time in using the lower ridges to clamber steadily up the levels, coming within easy grabbing range of the toy after a few long moments. As he held the small doll in his hand, he couldn't help a small smile as he clambered back down-

 _-endy, please, you're gonna get hurt!" Even with the worried, whining tone in the other toon's voice, Bendy couldn't shake the grin from his face as he eased himself back to the next level on the dresser, a whistling bit of laughter accompanying a happily curled devil-tail._

 _"C'mon, Boris, I've been climbin' these longer than you've been around!" The devil cajoled, letting gravity swing him around on a heel and a hand he glued to the edge of the border. Even though the smaller toon had perfect control of the movement, the wolf's arms still twitched upright in case he needed to catch his smaller, more-adventurous friend._

 _"I know, but y'need t'only have an accident once…" The idea of him actually messing this up was laughable and would probably be insulting if it came from anyone else except the taller toon, whose ears were back and tail held close to his legs in worry. Bendy's flippant look steadily faded to something a bit softer as he took in the pinched expression on the canid muzzle, and decided to throw Boris a bone, so to speak._

 _"Ah, y'know I'm aces at this, though if it makes you feel better…catch!" And with the last word the devil easily sprung off the border he'd been standing on and into the wolf's hurriedly outstretched arms._

 _"Ben-dy." Boris whined, a fond undercurrent marring the long-suffering tone. The little toon merely smiled his finest pacifying smile up at his best pal, shrugging in a sort of lazy, noncommittal gesture as he relaxed in the wolf's hold._

 _"What? I got down, didn't I?"_

 _A not-entirely serious eyeroll was Boris's only response to that observation, as he instead gave Bendy a light bear hug before letting the little devil's feet hit the floor. Still, he wasn't done fretting just yet._

 _"Still don' like the idea of you climbing around on those, 'specially without someone makin' sure you don' fall…"_

 _"Well, that's what I got you for, right?" Bendy returned as he and Boris sauntered up the hallway to the break room; hopefully someone had left something good they could have for dinner that night. "You watch my back, and I'll watch yours. That's what pals-_

-His eyes were burning when he finally reached the floor, but by this point Bendy knew what he was doing enough that his feet found stability with no trouble, even with a hand occupied by his prize. Blinking, Bendy held up the little toy in one hand, giving the plush, worn fabric a light squeeze to hear it squeak. It had been so long since he'd seen something like this. He knew that…he was a cartoon, he was not supposed to be real, and that the studio around him had been dedicated to making animated shorts of him and his pals, but they only ended up managing to produce a small bunch of…merchandise, he remembered Joey calling it.

However, they'd all only had the toon devil, and nothing involving the wolf or Alice. The latter he sort of understood given that she was new to the show and things like toys took time to make. But Boris had been around nearly as long as Bendy, and in all the time the devil had been at the studio he'd never once seen a small, squeaky version of the wolf to go along with the Bendy doll.

When Bendy had asked Joey why there was no Boris toy floating around somewhere, the studio head had quite simply said that there was no demand for it. Bendy's response had been to point out that, well, every Bendy needs a Boris, 'cause that's how the pair of them were. Pretty much inseparable, at least until Joey had put them to work in the studio.

Even still, Joey's answer to what had seemed like a well-reasoned argument at the time was to give the idea a quiet hum, and state that they would see.

From what Bendy remembered, and saw, Boris never got a toy of him like Bendy did.

The small, smiling face blurred under a film of tears, Bendy sniffling before hurriedly scrubbing at his eyes to rid himself of the moisture. He didn't have time for getting emotional; he still had plenty more to do. Albeit, the only thing that the theater room yielded apart from chairs and an old projector was the valve in the back, the mechanisms lit up by the emergency lighting that Bendy had noticed before. Shifting around to properly see, the little devil was able to make out the sign plastered above, Ink Pressure.

Putting the sight in the back of his mind, Bendy headed back out the room as he tried to take stock again. Alright, he had the toy, he'd gotten the gear, the book, the spanner, the inkwell, that might've been everything except…

When he made it back to the offering room, the devil immediately realized that his instinct had been correct; he was still missing the record. But he'd been all over the place, and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the thing anywhere.

Heading back out, the devil toon took the left turn instead of heading straight, nearly passing the office that had been plaguing him for much of his short stay before he noticed something rather crucial. The door was ajar, much like that of the break room, the tiny sliver of light faintly glowing against the dark and dingy wood.

Remembering both that this had been the office that had apparently been occupied, and that the break room had disgorged something worthwhile, Bendy carefully reached out and pressed a hand to the wooden door. Gently pushing it open, the little devil nearly flinched away before the sight of the empty, cramped office registered. Peering around, leaning in rather than putting a foot over the threshold, Bendy took in the shelf and desk jammed up against the wall, the radio out in the open which had to have been playing the music he'd heard.

While the radio at least was a sign of life, Bendy could see no hint of who had been using the room. Perhaps they had slipped out when he was in the other parts of the studio, and though the idea of a person moving about stealthily was far more believable than a cutout, Bendy could easily say that he wasn't sure which was worse. Eventually creeping away from the door, the little devil got a look at a piece of paper sitting on the desk, with words scrawled upon it in runny ink.

 _ **HE WILL SET US FREE.**_

…What the heck was that about? Bendy had no idea, and the ominous tone to the whole thing made him back up from the desk, looking and listening for any sign of…well, anything. Be it a trap or something completely out of left field, he'd like to have some idea of what was coming.

However, the devil's path backwards had let him get a broader look at the whole corner of the room, his eyes dropping to the space underneath the desk. And there, sitting in between the desk and the wall was the record in question, which Bendy wasted no time in grabbing and rushing back to its pedestal. The little toon was about to go and try flipping the lever when his eyes went to the panel on the left, still blaring its message of 'low pressure'.

Of…course, things could never be that easy for him, could they?

Letting his head clunk on the wall next to the switch for a moment, Bendy briefly let himself slump with nerves and general exhaustion before pushing himself back upright and heading out of the room. For Boris, he had to do this for Boris. Just one more thing…

More on autopilot than anything else the devil headed back to the theater, the weight of the past few hours more than starting to catch up with him. Rubbing his fingers against his temples, he let out an exhausted sigh, wanting more than anything to just…stop for a second so he could catch up and let his mind fully wrap around it all. Everything about this was so confusing, horrifying, and nerve-wracking that he wasn't even sure where to begin, though Bendy knew that if he tried to stop now, he might not continue.

He didn't have the luxury of stopping, either. He had to…at least try to save one person he cared about from this mess, the one that was sitting right in front of him. His mind still played that mantra, _for Boris, for Boris,_ _ **all your faultallyourfaultallyourfault**_ …

His eyes looked up just in time to catch a flicker of motion at the end of the hall, a familiar, grinning shape peering out at him before ducking back behind the corner, the cutout was moving, it was looking at him, THE CUTOUT WAS MOVING-!

With a holler of fright, Bendy rushed to the other side of the hall, crashing into a closet door and jarring it open, tumbling through to land flat on his back. The devil quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to hide behind the doorframe for a moment before he realized that a door had actually opened. Readjusting his hat, he peered around the tiny closet, recognizing the shelves of projectors and film reels. He knew this one, actually-

- _Bendy flinched awake at the click of the lock and the creak of the closet door opening. Eyes widened as he took in the shadowed visage of Joey in the poorly lit hall outside, and though he was unable to see it in the dark, he knew the man was staring down at him._

 _"Bendy, come here." The blank calm in the studio head's voice made his insides writhe like no tomorrow, but the devil obeyed anyway, getting up and coming to stand in front of Joey, stance somewhat folded in on itself. He hated that tone, the calm, quiet one, hated it worse than when someone yelled. Yelling at the very least was a definite sign of anger, and Bendy knew how to react to anger. That tone though, could mean anything from a lecture to being locked in a closet to being thrown away from whatever it was he was messing up, so he opted to stay wary for the time being._

 _"Look at me." A flinch and gulp, and Bendy did, head craning back to see what he could of Joey's face in the dark. A faint glimmer from his glasses was all pie-cut eyes could make out, and Bendy felt his tail flick close to his legs as he instinctively tried to make himself smaller. The silence carried for a moment before Joey finally started speaking._

 _"Wally finished cleaning up the mess you made in the break room, but if I catch you playing with the offerings again, we will have to take more drastic measures than just spending some time in here. Do you understand me?"_

 _Bendy resisted the urge to wipe at some of the ink he knew had started dribbling down his face at the mention of 'drastic measures', though he felt his tail curl even closer to his feet._

 _"Bendy, did you hear me?" Joey broke in, a harder tone leaking into his voice, causing Bendy to nearly leap out of his skin, words tumbling from his mouth._

 _"Y-Yeah, I hear you, Joey, 'm sorry, I won'…do it again…" The last three words came out a little softer, partially due to the fact that Bendy remembered that Joey never liked hearing the devil 'talk back to him' when Bendy was in trouble. Part of his punishment was that he had to stay quiet until the studio head would come to get him. The little toon hoped that the response didn't violate that particular part of his sentence; scary though Joey may be, Bendy certainly didn't want to be locked in the closet again. Joey might not let him out at all next time…_

 _But, tension eased as the studio head stepped to the side, gesturing for the toon to leave the confines of the closet. Bendy quickly walked out, Joey closing the door behind him and easily fell into step with his cowed creation as they went down the hall-_

-Bendy forced himself to relax and relinquish the death grip he had on the doorframe, taking a few deep breaths as he tried to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. Nothing had come round the corner after him, and he didn't see anyone in the room down there, so where had the cutout, or anyone that might have been moving it around, have gone to?

He got his answer a moment later when he tried venturing beyond the closet, hugging the far wall and catching sight of the familiar bit of cardboard leaning up against the opposite side. Despite the tension that settled in his gut at the very sight of the thing, Bendy threw a glare at the frozen smile, pointing to his own eyes before pointing at the cardboard lookalike's. He hoped at this point he was merely getting his message across rather than inviting death or more terrifying games of peekaboo, but at this point he was beyond caring enough to stop himself.

Still, he didn't take his eyes off the cutout as he went into the room, turning around entirely to walk in backwards just so he wouldn't lose sight of it. This unfortunately was probably not wise, as he was entirely taken off guard by the projector suddenly clicking on in the room behind him. At the same time music started to play, the sudden burst of sound in the dead quiet causing Bendy to fall backwards before scrambling to hide behind a chair to his right. Though, apart from the sudden presence of a cheery, whistled tune, and the screen showing a grainy image of the devil darling himself…dancing, there was no sign that there was even anyone else in the room with the little toon.

Not that that was reassuring in the least, as Bendy slowly pushed himself upright and stepped out from behind the chair. Hurrying to the corner where the pressure valve was tucked away, the little devil fought with the aged mechanism before something started to give, the wheel creakily spinning in it's socket. Just as Bendy turned it to where it couldn't go any further, a groan suddenly sounded from a pipe running along the back of the theater. The noise cut off in a thunderous crack, Bendy grimacing with a gasp as ink started to flood the floor. Coming out from the nook, the small toon splashed through the growing pool, and was forced to go through the spurting leak, which so happened to be right above the door. Covering his mouth, Bendy kept his head down so as not to get too much of the muck on his face, making it to the other side before his frame finally gave in to the impulse to give a disgusted shudder.

Even still, the little devil tried to keep the mantra going in his mind, that he could just finish this, for Boris. He had to try for Boris. Hurrying back around the corner, Bendy was highly relieved at the lack of dripping or spurting ink in the hallway as he ran back to the offerings, and the power switch. It seemed to take barely any time for the devil to make it back, though he paused in front of the switch for a moment, glancing at the panel which now flashed a cheerful 'ready!'. Perhaps there was some thrill of foreboding curdling the little toon's ink, but he still reached up anyway and pulled the lever down.

Only to jump with a strangled shriek as the lights went out and he was left in total darkness. His heart felt like it was hammering out of his chest, and though Bendy knew the layout of the room around him it felt like danger could come from anywhere. Suddenly, like a trainwreck the reason he'd gone through so much trouble in the first place came crashing back in, and in an instant the devil toon blindly turned to run to the doorway in the dark, feeling his way around the corner.

The candles in the room Boris was in gave Bendy enough light to see by as he made his way down the corridor, though they didn't give him enough warning to see the spreading puddle of ink on the floor in front of the wolf, which was spurting from the hole in Boris's chest. Bendy skidded to a halt just quick enough to avoid having some splatter on his face, the realization of what he almost walked into range of enough to make his stomach turn again.

The urge was quickly overtaken by a sick swoop of dismay when it became clear that whatever amount of ink that was pumping into Boris through the pipe, it clearly wasn't enough to heal the damage.

The devil froze, horror and absolute hopelessness warring for space in his mind, breathing growing stilted and his hands pressing to either side of his head as he tried to contain everything that threatened to overwhelm him. He just needed to think, there had to be a solution, Boris couldn't… he couldn't be…this was supposed to work…!

And suddenly, with another spurt of ink, an idea began to take hold in the devil's mind. Boris needed ink to heal, but the pipe wasn't giving him enough. He'd need more, a lot more, but the only place Bendy could get it in here was…

"…the ink machine." The murmur was barely audible in the newfound rumbling that seemed to seep through every board in the floor, but the idea had taken root nonetheless. Wasting no time, Bendy turned on his heel and dashed back through the door and down the hall, taking the right and then a left, leaping over the pipe and nearly falling flat on his face as he halted in front of the doorway to the churning mechanical monstrosity.

The reason he'd stopped so quickly was, well, if he didn't he would have crashed into what looked like some sort of hastily-made barricade. The door was blocked, a bunch of planks nailed to the bottom and one put in sort of vertical to the doorframe.

He couldn't go in.

The fact that the small toon hadn't heard any hammering, and the fact that they looked pretty solid given that the person doing the work could have only had a few minutes, immediately set him ill at ease. There were a bunch of odd ink splatters on the floor near the boards that almost looked like someone had walked in ink and tracked it in the hall. The ink machine itself was also making quite a bit of noise, Bendy able to see how much the thing was shaking through the spaces in the boards. The sight nearly caused the devil to groan; the last thing he needed right now was to break it…

Still, he wasn't about to completely ignore what seemed like a very clear warning to leave the machine alone, so instead of trying to climb through the gap in the boards Bendy inched closer to see if he could peer over the barricade. Maybe he could spot the reason they'd blocked the room…?

Something tall, black, and looming suddenly stood up, blocking the gap in the boards. Bendy immediately flung himself away, a startled and horrified scream erupting from his throat. Pushing his hat back, he caught sight of long limbs, thick and gloopy with ink, and something white at what seemed like the thing's chest. Not that the toon really cared beyond simple observation given that the monster started to break through the boards, a gurgling cry sounding off like a hunting horn. There was the faintest hint of a sound under the vocal mire, something that didn't quite fit. Bendy couldn't really care less at the moment, his attention more focused on scrambling to his feet and running for his life. Ink had begun to pour from everywhere, the ceiling, the walls, even seeping up through the floorboards. He'd honestly have been more disturbed by the volume of the stuff if he wasn't terrified senseless. The studio itself creaked and groaned, steam venting from spots that blurred in Bendy's vision as he ran past, the door to the other half of the floor slamming closed along with the other office doors.

Dashing down the hall and around the corner, the little devil almost skidded past the exit before grabbing onto the wall to stop his momentum, ink splattering about from both that and another door slamming closed on his right. Bendy could have cried with relief upon seeing the exit sign, though that hope became quickly dashed as he remembered that the door was still very much locked.

"C'mon, c'mon, don't do this to me, not now…!" The devil babbled, trying to twist the doorknob with both hands before he noticed the sound of gurgling, rapidly-dripping ink coming from somewhere behind him. He threw a frightened glance back, feeling a solid slab of panic settle into his gut as he took in the distinct shape of the ink monster as it started to round the corner and effectively trap him between it and the door. Completely giving in to terror, Bendy began to pound on the wooden paneling, a strangled cry for help escaping his throat though he couldn't look away as the creature came closer and closer.

It paused just a few feet away before it put its arm on the floor to pull itself further forward, causing something to creak and judder under Bendy's feet. The monster too noticed the shaking, as it pushed itself backwards just in time for the floor to drop away, and suddenly Bendy was standing on nothing at all.

Now in cartoons, that would have been a moment of great comedy, with perhaps a bracing grimace or a 'what're you gonna do' shrug right before the character dropped out of sight with a whistle of gravity taking effect. For Bendy, gravity took hold before the realization that he was falling did, the sight of things flitting through his field of vision as he fell past them driving a strangled yell from his throat.

Which cut off in a _sploosh_ as the devil splashed down into a room flooding with enough ink to come up to his chest. Choking down a holler of pain as he impacted with the floor through his liquid cushion, Bendy surfaced with a sputtering gasp of air, picking out the shape of a dresser in the far corner of the room. Swimming through the ink, Bendy pulled himself up onto the relative safety, feeling very much like a drowned and injured rat.

Pain bloomed in the side that he had fallen on, and Bendy simply lay there for a moment as his mind caught up to his probably heavily bruised body.

He had fallen through a trap door. Someone meant for someone, maybe him, to fall down here. It was all on purpose, and it all made sense. The way Boris was…set up, just so he could be seen, the presence of the offerings, it was all done so that Bendy would turn the ink machine on. And, then down here. Whoever had set this all up, whether it be Joey or someone else, did not seem to be done with the devil just yet. Or perhaps it was some kind of weird trap designed to catch people that snuck in. The thought seemed absurd at first, but his memories lent some credibility to it when he recalled that the trap door was only tripped when the monster had put its weight on it along with his. Still, the exit door had been locked…

With all of these thoughts buzzing about his brain, Bendy was extremely tempted to just lie in that one spot, taking some solace in the somewhat naïve notion that nothing could happen if he just refused to continue being herded into whatever ink-soaked nightmare his old home had become. There was also the fact that falling from what seemed like a few stories had definitely done some damage, with pain pulsating through his entire left side, that also kept him curled up on the dresser for what seemed like a few minutes, watching as the level of the ink never seem to rise any higher than mid-chest height for him. It looked like it was draining somewhere, for sure. Question was, where?

What eventually got him to move, though not as quickly as he would have liked, was the sound of ink dripping down through the opening, as well as the echoes of something large and kind of incensed moving around at the top of the shaft. More than a little worried about the possibility of company, the devil rolled over to sit up, hissing a little when he tried to put weight on his left leg. Looking down, Bendy caught sight of a puffy swelling running from knee to at least his ankle, the faint dribbles of ink next to his foot hinting at open wounds.

Great…Still, he couldn't stay here. If the thing was coming down after him, what would probably be best for right now would be to get a head start.

Though with the ink at about his neck that might be easier said than done. Albeit, the longer Bendy sat up on the dresser the more he noticed that firstly, the flow down the chute was tapering off, and secondly, the floods were starting to lower as the ink drained out. If he had to guess, he would say that it was seeping out under the door he could now see across the room. Despite his disgust, the little devil forced himself to hop down once the dark floods were at his ankles, trying to keep his weight mostly off his injured leg and side.

Limping his way to the door, Bendy reached up and gave the knob a twist, hobbling on through. Now he was in a room with what looked like a long staircase, and though he knew his injuries wouldn't like what he was about to do, Bendy steadily began to limp his way down. The only bright side to the situation was that the more the little devil descended, the further down the ink level went, the way mostly clear except for a few slippery spots here and there on the steps. Three flights later it felt like someone had taken a hammer to his side and leg. Not to mention he could feel driblets of liquid running from his injuries to his feet. He'd be needing ink soon, without a doubt…

There was just the matter of finding some that wasn't just, sitting out somewhere, as while Bendy could say things weren't great he wasn't desperate enough to try whacking one of the pipes. Who knew what kind of bunk was swimming around in that stuff…

No, he'd be better off just finding some of the little jars he sincerely hoped had to still be somewhere in here. Maybe there was a closet around or something…

Like the one that sat to the right of the staircase he'd come down. Still, he wasn't optimistic enough to call that luck just yet. Wincing at the pain still pounding through his side like an annoyingly reliable drum-beat, Bendy limped his way to the dingy door, a slightly unsteady hand plying at the knob for a moment before getting the door open. Well, it wasn't stairs going up, but a hallway wasn't too bad…

Though it would probably be better if the hallway didn't end somewhere like a room where the only other way out was blocked by more boards, with a familiar scrawling on the wall to the devil's right proclaiming ' **HE LIED TO US** ' with an ominously accusatory air. For a moment, Bendy was more than a little stumped, with heading back out of the question and the way forward blocked, until he caught sight of an old fire axe mounted above a table.

Thank everything that he didn't have to reach too much to get the darn thing because at this point Bendy was fairly certain that his side and foot would turn to mush if he had to put any more weight on them. The axe felt solid in his hands, and it took Bendy a few moments to figure out a way to swing it that didn't have him twisting too much. The boards placed across the opposite door were good practice for him to figure that part out. Even still, his side and leg were really not liking him by the time he was done. On the other side of the door was another cluster of old wood lying in his way, and by the time that was over he was quietly mouthing the word 'ow' on repeat as his hurts pulsated in time with his heartbeat. Rounding a corner, Bendy caught sight of another closed door at the end of the hall. Leaning on the axe for a spell before continuing on, the devil just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Please, please be a closet wi' ink or somethin'." He muttered under his breath, reaching out to grab the knob and giving it a twist. To his relief, it wasn't locked, and opened easily.

Breathing heavily, the little devil stumbled into the room, and immediately paused at the sight of a pentagram drawn on the wooden floor with lit candles, followed up by three coffins on the opposite wall.

 _Please let there not be any actual bodies in here…_ Though despite the thought, Bendy couldn't help but realize that the presence of any more cadavers at this point probably wouldn't surprise him. Horrify him, definitely, but not surprise him. With his track record it seemed likely enough…

Also it was, getting hard to think all of a sudden though that could also be contributed to the pain still dully pounding through his left leg and side. The small toon took a few shaky steps forward, putting a foot over the border of the pentagram on the floor before he realized and feeling something akin to an earthquake start to ripple up his feet, the candles suddenly alit and filling the room with smoke. With a yelp, Bendy toppled forward into the circle, passing out the moment he hit the ink-stained floor.

 _-man's expression was like looking at someone that had had something thrown in their face and they hadn't quite recovered. It almost begged someone to actually do something, but Joey didn't move to stop the wide-eyed, disbelieving expression and Bendy started to feel uncomfortably on the spot._

 _"Well, Henry." His creator eventually said, breaking the silence. "Anything to say?"_

 _"Joey, what is that?" 'Henry' responded, not taking his eyes off of Bendy as he spoke-_

 **Dark hallway, he knew he wasn't supposed to be here but he kept going…**

 _-we can go right now, Boris, let's just get Alice, an' we'll just go! No strings attached!" Bendy said, shoving the last of some ink bottles into the little bag as he got up and turned. His face fell as he looked up at Boris and took in the unsure, halting expression on the wolf's face. Somehow, he already knew what the taller toon was going to say before he even opened his mouth, and could only feel resigned as-_

 **Everything nearly an inky black except for a ray of light from under the window curtain, the faint shapes of a desk, chair, bookshelves…**

 _-flew through the air before he realized what had happened, Joey's harsh shout of 'OUT' echoing in his nonexistent ears as he connected with the opposite wall. Bendy lay there dazed for a moment before the sight of the door slamming closed registered. He drunkenly stumbled to his feet, running over to pound on the wood as he remembered what Joey said, how he couldn't be outside yet because people might try to hurt him._

 _"JOEY! Joey I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please le' me back in, Joey! Please! I-I don'-!" The devil stopped, feeling something dripping down the back of his head, reaching back and feeling a small patch of loose ink. He was hurt, he was stuck outside and he was hurt, there was no telling what could happen-!_

 _A sudden gasp down the hall made the devil jump, slowly turning to make eye contact with a pair of men coming down the corridor to investigate the noise. There was a brief moment of silence, with both parties staring at each other before one of the men gave a shout followed by Bendy giving a terrified scream and bolting down the hall, frenetic noises and shouts echoing in his wake-_

 **An old and worn book in his hands, the lettering hard to see in the low light but it doesn't look like anything Bendy'd been taught to read…**

 _-Pain ripped through him as he slid down, rocks catching at inky skin and tearing gouges in the devil's back. Despite his best efforts Bendy let loose a yowl that sounded like it was erupting from his lungs, a way to hopefully release some of this agony rather than let it rattle at him any more than it already had. He came to a grinding halt at the bottom of the quarry, his limbs moving slower and with far more twitchiness than he'd like to flip over onto his front and push himself up. Every movement is like falling down the stairs again but so much worse somehow, sharp and dull all at once in a way that cut and pounded at the little toon's frame._

 _But the memory of his accident at the studio rattled other memories from Bendy's mind, ones of voices that calmed and stayed with him through the pain, hands that healed and carried him…_

 _…ones that were no longer present. The more he tried to run, feeling ink stain the inside of his jacket and turning the fabric sticky and stiff, the more that fact hammered itself in with every pulsating throb of pain running through his back. He felt so completely alone. And he had no one to blame for that but himself-_

 **Ink leaking in spurts from the pages, and though he'd moved it away from his face it still splattered everywhere, on his hands, his arms, a few drops on his face and there's a hissing, chittering, gurgling noise coming from the darkness around and all he wanted was to run run run RUN….**

 **But it traveled up his arms, the little toon closing his eyes as he could feel something slippery jumping the gap between his head and his body to start to ooze over his face, images flashing through his mind's eye that made no sense, the ink machine, a wheelchair that he'd seen once before in a closet in Joey's office, a dark, empty space, but not so empty, the devil could see something moving in the black, many somethings, and somehow he knew he was being watched, faint shines like eyes beginning to appear, but so so many and they were all focused on him…**

* * *

When Bendy opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that the axe was leaning up against one of the coffins, metal edge lit by the gentle flickering of the candles. The second thing was that he was feeling a lot less in pain then he remembered being when he'd initially hit the floor. Sitting upright, pie-cut eyes narrowed as he scanned his leg, looking for any hint of swelling or injury, and finding nothing. Brushing a hand across his left side didn't sting like he thought it would either, the white glove coming away clean. He looked, and felt, practically good as new.

For his immediate needs, this was great. No need to go scrounging around for ink for a good while.

However, if he were to start giving in to the paranoia that had his ear since last night, this could only lead to something worse. In all of his life, Bendy needed ink to completely heal from anything from a cut to a stomach ache to falling down a flight of stairs. The injuries he'd gotten from falling down that hole were among some of the worst he'd had, for them to just vanish like this…he'd never seen the like. And right now, coupled with the other things he'd been seeing today, the little devil had the distinct feeling that this wasn't going to be good for him in the long run.

Glancing down at the pentagram on the floor, Bendy hurriedly got to his feet, stepping out of the symbol and opting to observe it from the sidelines of the room. He'd never seen anything like this out on the streets, and, was pretty sure he'd never seen the like inside the studio either, although…

Something about this just set all of his internal alarms off, at least in a subtler way. Similar to the cutouts upstairs, or even the ink machine, Bendy felt like he had to keep an eye on the circle, had to watch it. And if he didn't…something else, something even worse than before would happen. He didn't know what, but he had this unshakable feeling that something was just a tick away from starting up, and he wasn't going to like what it was.

The feeling drew him back to the axe, and Bendy made quick work of the boards blocking the other door, reasoning that the less time he spent in the room the better. Also, heading back meant going back to where the shaft was, and he didn't remember seeing any other doors that way. Still, when he cleared the debris, the fact that he was greeted with more stairs going down was not something that made him feel any better regarding his situation.

What didn't help was the fact that when he approached the top landing he caught sight of a board dropping down onto the floor at the bottom of the stairs.

"Great…" He muttered into his scarf, carefully walking down just in case the steps were suffering from structural issues too. Reaching the bottom landing with no incident, Bendy continued on, only to come face to face with what looked like an altar of some kind, with little bowls set up and cans of bacon soup strewn about, lit candles offering some light to the whole, strange affair. If that had been all, perhaps he might have shown more of an interest in the food, it had been a while since he'd eaten, but above the altar was another bunch of dark letters, this time spelling out ' **HE WILL SET US FREE'**.

Yeah, maybe if he was well and truly starving, but there were times when stealing only brought you more trouble, like if the person you were stealing from happened to be crazy. Besides, these candles couldn't stay lit all of the thirty years since he'd been gone, someone had to be down here relighting them and replacing them when they burnt down. Whether that was Joey or someone else remained to be seen, but given what he'd seen upstairs, Bendy could say that he wanted to avoid a meeting if possible.

Nothing down here looked the least bit like it was going to help him, the presence of more coffins off to the right along with a familiar ink-circle drawn into the floor just cementing that fact in the little devil's mind. Yeah, he was going to be giving that set up a wide berth, thank you very much.

There was another weird-looking shrine off on the back wall, and Bendy meandered his way over after taking a good look around just to be sure that he was alone. The presence of a cutout down the hall didn't alleviate his nerves much, but they hadn't hurt him upstairs. Moved around, scared him, but didn't hurt him. Maybe that was a good sign?

"Yeah, an' maybe there's a way out around the corner…" Bendy muttered in an answer to his own thoughts, mood plummeting further at the realization that he was not at all sure where he was in the building. However, the dismal atmosphere was somewhat interrupted when he noticed another cassette deck on the other shrine. Maybe this one would have something worth listening to, like the one upstairs?

 _"He appears from the shadows to rain his sweet blessings upon me. The figure of ink that shines in the darkness. I see you, my savior, I pray that you hear me."_

The voice sounded familiar, but the words were throwing Bendy off too much for him to really place who was speaking. The only thing he could really liken this to was one time on a city corner where there had been a man with a black book and signs. He'd been talking a lot about salvation and saviors, but something about the words or the tone had put off the devil, and Bendy had walked away as soon as he could.

 _"Those old songs, yes, I still sing them. For I know you are coming to save me. And I will be swept into your final loving embrace."_

Still nothing ringing a bell, but where in blazes had he heard that voice before?

 _"But, love requires sacrifice. Can I get an amen?"_

The recording clicked off with a pop that rung through the decrypt room, Bendy jolting a little at the sound and his mind a-twirl with thoughts regarding what he had just heard.

And, coming from behind him...

"…I said, can I get an amen?"

Bendy practically leapt from his skin at the voice, the unrecorded, somewhere in this room, VOICE, a yelp almost breaking free from his lungs before he clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle the noise. He didn't want to give anything down here more leverage when it came to sneaking up on him, especially when he was sure that none of it meant him well. At least, not a well that he would be comfortable with.

Still, as pie-cut eyes tried to sort through the dimness of the room and the hallway across, Bendy found that if there had been someone present before, they were gone now. He wasn't sure if the thought made him feel any better, but there it was. The little toon quietly inched down the shelf to get a better vantage point to look down the hall, pulling his scarf up in an automatic gesture. Still, nothing. He could make out the cutout, but they weren't exactly capable of producing noise. At least, as far as he knew.

Bendy froze for a moment, fear and logic both inputting that he wasn't safe here. Though while the latter stated that while there was someone else here, someone who might try to hurt him, and he had to keep going as there was nowhere to go back to, the former could only offer incoherent whimpering and curling up in some nook somewhere with the hope that things would blow over. It was, more tempting than it should be, honestly.

But logic won out, with the argument that if he kept going and got out of here he could have as much a breakdown as he wanted then.

Granted, there wasn't anywhere else he could go except forward.

Hefting the axe, Bendy slowly padded his way down the hall, trying to keep his footfalls as light as possible so as not to make any noise. Still, nothing loomed out from the darkness at him, and he easily reached the other end to stand face to face with another cutout, though this one had one of the ink circles scrawled on the wall behind it.

Yeah, no, he was already acquainted with the damage each of these things could do, he didn't need to see what would happen if they teamed up. Hurrying along, Bendy came to another doorway leading to a hall. What gave him pause was the fact that he couldn't see the floor. There were boards scattered about, just like everywhere else down here, but they didn't look like they were resting on anything.

Bendy took a step forward, and his foot sank into the substance with a small _PLOOSH_. Immediately he yanked himself back, now knowing exactly what was covering the entire hall and not liking what he would likely be doing in the next few minutes. A full-body shudder rippled through the devil's frame, and he had to suppress a holler of frustrated disgust at the whole situation. Given that he was a little less preoccupied by blind panic this time a bunch of thoughts regarding the connotations of walking through ink when it was basically what flowed through him like – no, don't even think that word.

Taking small, shuffling steps back to the doorway, Bendy briefly swallowed down a disgusted whine before taking a step forward, and ending up feeling like the air was sucked out of his lungs when he immediately plunged in up to just above the waist, axe automatically held over his head. The stuff was cold, thick, and he briefly wondered if the floor had just, rotted out or something ahead and he was just going to not be standing on anything and plunge out of sight and die down there and no one would find him 'cause no one would even know he was gone-.

Forcing his brain to just stop for a minute Bendy took a deep breath, letting it out in a whistling little whine that sounded far more pitiful than he'd like. And then he started to walk. Small steps at first, feeling out the uneven floor under the ink as he went. He held the axe over his head, though he paused for a half-second near some of the boards, just on the off-chance he needed to grab onto it for leverage or balance.

Bendy had gotten about three-quarters of the way to the end of the hall when a flicker of motion through the doorway up ahead caught his attention, causing him to instinctively freeze in place. A figure was walking through the hallway, someone tall and wearing mostly black. The most distinct thing was that they were carrying a Bendy cutout under an arm, the grinning face looking outward to where the little devil stood as they went past. Bendy didn't dare call out to the person, something a little more potent than his instincts from thirty-years of vagabonding keeping him quiet. However, once they'd gone by, he tried to slosh through the remainder of the ink as quietly as possible, climbing out onto the wooden floor and peering round the corner to see…

…No one, apart from the cutout sitting innocently in front of another circle drawn on the end wall. There wasn't even a door or another room that the figure could have gone to, just a hole to the left. Which hardly looked likely, given that from what Bendy had seen they'd been at least the size of a full-grown adult. The small toon would have a problem fitting in that gap himself, even if he took away the few boards nailed over it. The only other thing in the hall was a shelf on the right loaded with cans of what looked like more bacon soup, and from the looks of things it was part of the wall. Nowhere to hide, so where did that guy go?

On one front, it did sort of explain the disappearing act back with the recording, if the speaker and whoever that was were one in the same. On another, it was even more creepy to think of that there was someone wandering around who could just come and go like that with little to no warning.

All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as possible. Though for Bendy, the other end of the hall he'd walked into was blocked by what looked like a mechanized gate of some kind, judging from the panel next to it. Looking it over, he easily picked out a switch, but upon flicking it found that nothing happened, apart from it moving back into the off position. Great, perfect, now he was well and truly stuck…

Still he decided to take another crack at looking over the panel, noticing three little light bulbs lined up on the opposite end from the switch, all flashing on and off. They weren't buttons, but maybe…

Yeah, and? He was just going to find buttons off somewhere, right?

Bendy let some of his frustration out by thunking his head against the wall, at least three times. It would be like Joey to make things get as screwy as possible; that might actually be why he and the other toons were never shown this part of the studio…

Meandering his way back down the hall, Bendy looked to the shelf before walking over and grabbing some cans, his rummaging uncovering a small button mounted on the wall. The sight caused the devil to blink, pie-cut eyes looking from his find to the panel still visible at the end of the hall. As he pushed the small square button, a small light lit up on the corner of the plastic around it, and a glance down the hall confirmed that one of the lights had stopped flashing and instead stayed lit.

Well, one mystery solved, but he still needed to find two more from the looks of things. The devil combed the hallway for a moment before a suspicion started to build in his mind, and he turned back towards the ink-flooded hall. Bendy did try to go a little faster this time around, though as he stepped onto the mercifully solid wooden flooring he definitely knew he would need to get another jacket once he'd gotten out of here. The first of the two buttons was pretty easy, as it stood out against the wood of the shelf that the cassette deck was sitting on. The other one was, quite frankly, a headache and the only reason that Bendy found it was because his hand brushed it by accident when he was feeling out the ruins of what looked like a jukebox on one of the walls.

Oh well, he got it, now he could get that gate open and hopefully be one step closer to being out of this place. Another trip through the hallway and he was back at the panel, flicking the switch and watching as the metal slab rose up and revealed a small corridor and a boarded-up doorway. As soon as the gate was fully up, a light flicked on somewhere in the room beyond.

Well, that was useful if not kind of ominous.

Though, the one bright bit of sunshine in this was that once Bendy broke through the boards blocking the other doorway, he knew where he was. The music department, as the lit-up sign across the foyer room so helpfully pointed out to him. And if Joey hadn't changed the design of the music department then that meant…!

Bendy dashed to the right, going into the first doorway he saw with a smile starting to form on his face. Which dropped right away when he noticed the fact that the stairwell, the one leading down to the exit, a surefire exit from the building, was completely flooded with ink. From the looks of where the ink level sat on the door, trying to go through it would end with him soaked to his horns.

The toon devil just simply stood there, taking a few long blinks to confirm that what he was seeing was in fact true before he put down the axe. Holding up a finger to let the world at large know that he needed some time, he took his hat and scarf off, balled them up, and screamed into the wadded fabric.

It took about a couple minutes for him to be done with that, pale face a little flushed with his residual temper when he finally slipped the hat and scarf back on. He still wasn't quite done, instead taking a moment to gesture angrily at the ink pool as though it was responsible for everything going wrong. 'Course, it wasn't like the ink could answer back and give the devil something to actually yell at, so after a bit he simply slumped, reaching down to grab the axe before he noticed a switch on the wall. Joey had mentioned pumps somewhere in the building, maybe this was the way to turn one on?

The small bit of hope that the thought kicked up was quickly dashed, as when Bendy flicked the switch the only thing that happened was that the lights in the music department came on behind him. Silver linings, he'd have a bit more light to see by in order to figure this out. There had to be a pump switch somewhere, it just wasn't in the obvious place (thanks, Joey), so he'd just have to hunt around. At least he mostly remembered the layout of the music department, so that was something in his favor.

As Bendy walked back through the door, his eyes caught sight of some smears of ink at the base of the sign. A minute ago he would have said they were just puddles, but looking at them with the better lighting outlined the suggestion of a shape mired in the ink, like someone had balled something up and let it soak. Despite the thrill of foreboding that the sight induced, Bendy gulped and took a step closer, pie-cut eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what was soaked in the ink.

Only to have it leap from the puddle into a half-humanoid shape, arms spreading wide like it was propelling itself up from the depths. A shriek catching in his throat, Bendy threw himself backward, feet almost tripping over themselves in their haste to get away from this new monstrosity. The situation only got grimmer when it began to pull itself forward by its arms, and outright left the puddle to start gliding across the floor towards the devil. Backing to the stairwell door Bendy instinctively raised the axe, swinging to connect with the thing's shoulder once it came close enough. The singular strike caused it to splatter across the floor, but its spot was immediately filled by another inky horror. This one actually came close enough for Bendy to have to push it away with the handle of the axe, his feet taking two more steps back as he finally worked up a swing. Remembering the massive puddle of ink behind him Bendy hurried to the side, letting a barrel be at his back while another three creatures tried to get him. One went down pretty quick, though the second tried to rush him from the right while the third came from the left. Taking a chance, Bendy dove in between them, spinning around just in time to see the two collide and fall to pieces.

Breathing heavily, the little devil stood there for two seconds before looking down and noticing that his foot was right near one of the puddles. With a choked holler, Bendy hurled himself away from the ink to land on the floor, scrambling backwards on his rear until he hit the wall. Cradling the axe to his front, the little toon huddled against the barrier, shaking and more than a little rattled.

 _What in blazes even were those, why did they look like people, what were they doing here, what happened what happened what the heck even happened?!_

Despite the questions rushing through Bendy's mind, nothing gave him any answers. At least, nothing that made much sense. The only thing that happened was that the gate for the offices rattled open, and music began to play over the loudspeakers. The sudden bursts of sound and vibration caused the devil's small frame to jolt before balling up even more, eyes wide as he pushed his hat back from where it had started to slip. Though once the upbeat, showtunes melody sunk in, an incredulous snarl set in behind the scarf.

"Oh, just, joy, always wanted a good bit of SHOWTUNES T'SEND ME OFF WHEN I'M BEIN' MURDERED!" Bendy hollered up at the offending speaker, though if the person playing the music took any heed it wasn't terribly obvious. Huffing with frustration and nerves, Bendy got to his feet and stamped over, thinking of seeing if he could hit the thing with the axe before he noticed another cassette deck on a shelf under the speaker. Only problem was, one of the ink puddles was right under it. The odd lumps that had preceded the ink monsters were gone, but Bendy still shied away. Looking around, he thought for a moment before climbing up on the ledge of the sign and using that to reach the cassette deck. As he pressed play, the music cut off, leaving the recorded voice on the tape to play through unhindered.

 _"So first Joey installs this Ink Machine over our heads. Then it begins to leak. Three times last month we couldn't even get out of our department because the ink had flooded the stairwell. Joey's solution? An ink pump to drain it periodically. Now I have this ugly pump switch right in my office. People in and out all day. Thanks, Joey. Just what I needed. More distractions. These stupid cartoon songs don't write themselves you know."_

The recording cut off with a pop, leaving Bendy to climb down from his perch in silence. He knew Sammy was a grouch, and honestly, they hadn't had much by way of overly positive interaction, but kept from leaving three times because of the Ink Machine leaking? That must have been some point before he was made, given that Bendy had never heard of this beforehand and from what he'd known, there'd always been a pump down here. Given his little episode a few minutes ago, he could more or less understand what he remembered of Sammy's temperament. Course it was thirty years too late, but better late than never, right?

Wait, Sammy said that the switch was in his office…! Bendy quickly turned to go down the hall, though his memories of where exactly the music director's office was was a little muddled so he opted to try the first door to the right. Which…opened up to a room with an organ in it.

This couldn't be Sammy's office, could it? If it was, the music director got a more rotten deal than Bendy had thought. The little devil crept his way across the room, peering about for a switch or a lever on the wall somewhere. And of course, nothing.

Sighing, Bendy backed up, stopping when his spine touched the organ. Without thinking about it he reached back and placed his axe on the keys, immediately yanking it away when the weight caused a cacophony of noise to ring out in the small room. Which was quickly followed by what sounded like an aggravated moan coming from behind the organ.

Bendy leapt back, axe rapidly going from being held at his side to up and at the ready in case something tried to break through the instrument to get at him. But, seconds crawled by, and nothing happened. The little devil slowly stepped back towards the door, backing through the doorframe without taking his eyes off the organ before he turned to the right and power-walked down the hall.

Alright, so hopefully that wasn't the place he needed to go, because he was pretty sure he was never going in there again even if his life depended on it. Besides, Bendy realized as he took a deep breath, it couldn't have been Sammy's office because the pump switch wasn't there. He was just…going to avoid thinking too hard on what happened. After getting jumped in the foyer Bendy was hardly going to trust anything that moved or made noise of its own accord in here.

He hesitated a few moments before trying the next door on the right, though this one certainly looked more like an office. Albeit, as Bendy walked in and peered around, he knew this couldn't be Sammy's office either. For starters, the presence of two desks seemed a bit out of place for a director's office; at least, he figured that Sammy being in charge of everything would get him his own spot. Catching sight of a can of soup on one of the desks, Bendy picked it up and brought it over to the light by the other desk so he could see. More bacon soup from the looks of it.

Well seeing as he hadn't really thought to grab any from that shelf before he got distracted by the switch, he slipped it into one of the outside pockets on his coat. On a whim he turned to glance up at whatever was on the second desk, and caught sight of what looked like paper with his character expressions penciled in. He could remember Henry talking about something like this, way back when. It was supposed to be a reference when it came to drawing characters, or made it easier to figure out how a character would look when they were feeling a particular emotion. Funnily enough, it was one for Bendy himself. Slightly less funny was the fact that whoever the artist was, they'd drawn his expression exactly the same for every prompt, a somewhat frozen smile that was a little too similar to what was on the cutouts.

Besides, Bendy liked to think he was a much more expressive guy than those lifeless bits of cardboard…

Leaving the room, he continued onward, getting to the end of the hall and catching sight of a sign hanging over what looked like a window to another office. Though the lighting still wasn't great, Bendy could make out Sammy's name, with an arrow pointing to the left.

Well, finally, something was going his way today, was the initial thought when he started to turn in the indicated direction, a faintly relieved smile playing across the toon's pale face. Which was rapidly dashed when he caught sight of the dip in front of Sammy's office door, filled to the brim with ink seeping down from some pipes over the entrance.

Another brief bit of hope presented itself with a closet to the right, but much to the devil's dismay, it was locked.

"Typical." Bendy began to mutter under his breath. "The only door that's locked on this floor might have the one thing I actually need…!"

Whirling back around, pie-cut eyes briefly scanned the disaster area that was the office entrance before alighting on a cutout propped innocently up just inside the depression in the floor. Before the little toon fully realized what he was doing, he marched over to his cardboard lookalike, and began ranting in a tone that never went higher than a stage whisper.

"You. You think this is funny? You're havin' a lotta laughs at my expense right now, aintcha? Well lemme tell you somethin' bucko, I am not happy wi' all this rigmarole that you got me doin' just t'get out of here! An' y'know what? I am so not happy that I'm seriously considerin' gettin' me some'a the candles, gettin' as many'a you as I can find an' settin' up a nice big bonfire t'show you just how not happy I am!"

Breathing heavily, Bendy maintained eye contact with the painted, grinning face before he realized that, weirdness or no, he'd just spent the last few minutes thoroughly chewing out an object of ink and cardboard. Y'know, instead of doing the smart thing like trying to figure out how to get through the door so he could use the pump and get out of here?

Rubbing the heel of a hand into one of his eyes, Bendy had to admit that whatever boost he'd gotten from the circle back there had long-since started to fade. Now everything down here along with his nerves were just making him more exhausted but he didn't dare consider the possibility of sleeping. Not with all those things lying in wait somewhere, along with whatever or whoever the heck that was, that he still hadn't seen hide nor hair of since back on the other side of the gate.

Turning with a completely drained sigh, Bendy was about to head back down the hall when his eyes caught sight of something perched on a shelf over the ink puddle; another cassette deck.

Well, it was probably worth at least trying to listen to it, the majority of the other ones had been helpful or informative in some way before, apart from that weird street preacher one. Still, it begged the question of how the little devil would go about accomplishing that, given that in order to come within range of pressing the play button he'd have to go into the ink. And after what happened back in the foyer he wasn't about to take any chances with puddles of any size, no sir.

However, looking at the axe did give Bendy an idea…

Standing on the edge, the devil took a moment to balance himself before reaching out with the head of the axe, trying to hook the tape deck and pull it towards him. It took a bit of wrangling, and Bendy almost ended up throwing himself forward to catch the thing when it dropped, but everything worked out, and he was now in the possession of one cassette deck.

Going to the other side of the hall just to get some distance between him and the ink, Bendy sat down next to the closet door, pressing play and settling down to listen.

 _"So I go to get my dust pan from the hall closet the other day and guess what? I can't find my stupid keys. It's like they disappeared into thin air or something. All I can think of is that they must have fallen into one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week. I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm out of here."_

Bendy blinked as the recording clicked off, mind going in two separate directions. The first was that Wally's keys, the keys for the closet he was currently sitting next to, were around here somewhere, in a garbage can? The second was that the janitor's thoughts regarding Sammy were likely right on the money; the music director tended to be brusque, with a somewhat brittle temper on some days. Bendy had often wondered why Sammy seemed particularly hard on Wally but if ink leaks were such a common problem, then maybe there was a reason behind it. Not a very good one to yell at Wally for seeing as he did work and tried hard to keep up with things, but it was a reason.

Alright, so he had to find the keys…if the closet didn't yield anything worthwhile then Bendy figured he'd try to break the glass of the window with the axe. He decided to go looking room by room, though the one with the two desks didn't have anything beyond paper, and from his vantage point in the doorway Bendy could see that there wasn't a garbage can near the organ.

Across from that room was another little knoll, leading down into what looked like it might've been a stairwell if not for the fact that it was filled to the top step with ink. Glancing up at the wall above brought Bendy's attention to a sign, the paint chipped but the words legible enough for him to read even in the low light; INFIRMARY.

And, in smaller print under that was spelled out: Anyone found faking illness will be docked a full weeks wages. NOT SICK, NOT PAID.

Had they always had that sign? Maybe, but Bendy could say for sure that he'd only ever come down into the music department a handful of times. If it was there, he hadn't paid much attention to it. Looking back on it, from the perspective of thirty years away from the confines of the studio, the little devil had to admit that the policy seemed more than slightly warped. How was one to be judged when it came to 'faking', after all?

Still, even with his gripes, the fact remained that he certainly couldn't go this way. Heading back out into the hallway, Bendy hurried back through the foyer. There was another trash can there, though that one didn't have anything out of the ordinary in it either. Continuing on around the sign, Bendy trudged into a little alcove with a door, some stairs leading up somewhere, and a poster of Alice's debut cartoon on the wall. The sight caused the devil to pause, something quietly lost and forlorn flitting over his face before he caught himself. Still, the bit of paper was the closest he'd come to actually seeing the angel since he'd gotten here…

Shoving the thoughts aside, because he knew they wouldn't do him any good spinning around his brain when he was trying to get out of this deathtrap, Bendy moved to check the trash can sitting next to the wall. He still came up empty. Well, at least there were other options to try, though Bendy stole another glance at the poster as he opened the door—

 _-he hurt, everything hurt, though at least he'd stopped falling. That was the one ray of sunshine in what seemed like the pulsating mass of pain his body had become. Bendy knew he should have been more careful, knew that bits of the studio were falling apart and everything needed a tune-up as of twenty years ago, but he'd thought the door had been locked, which was why he'd leaned on it in the first place. He certainly didn't expect to go tumbling backwards down a flight of stairs._

 _The dissonance from a pair of voices overhead caused the little devil to try moving, only to wince with a pained whine as his many hurts protested at even the suggestion. Still, he knew who was speaking; they'd seen him fall._

 _"B'ris? 'lice?" He mumbled through what felt like a bruised jaw, trying to open his eyes to see though only the left responded to his instructions. Both toons were looking down at him, Boris's expression stricken in the low light, and Alice had a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as they stared. Bendy shifted, trying to maybe turn himself over given that he kind of landed in a weird position, but the resulting hurt felt like fire running through his ink, an agonized wail sliding from his mouth before he could stop it._

 _The noise spurred the pair into action, both falling into a kneel next to the prone devil, though Bendy's senses greyed for a moment as he tried to power through the pain without passing out. When he opened his eye again Boris was gone and only Alice was present. She'd gently eased his battered head onto her lap, a hand resting on the left side of the little devil's head while the other rubbed hesitant lines into his shoulders, doing her best to avoid any lumps, swelling, or leaks of ink._

 _"Al-Al'ce?" He asked, tongue feeling thick in his mouth, which made sense given that he was fairly sure he'd bitten it on the way down the stairs. Still, something was wrong… "Bo-ris?"_

 _"It's alright, Bendy, Boris just went to go get Henry and Joey, they'll be here soon. Everything will be alright." Alice jumped in, her face giving the best comforting smile she could muster to the foggy, heavily bruised pair of eyes staring up at her. Why wasn't his other eye opening? His left arm stung a little when he moved it, though before he could even come within range of touching his face Alice carefully snagged his hand and lowered it back to the floor._

 _"It's alright Bendy, just don't try to move too much. Your eye's just bruised is all." Well, that explained plenty, though Bendy had the feeling his eye was the least of his worries at the moment. Suddenly, something occurred to the little toon, and he felt a lopsided smile start to settle achingly into his face._

 _"Bendy?" Alice asked, eyes furrowing in incomprehension at the strange look._

 _"B'ris sai' I on-ly needed on' acciden' t'happen. 's gonna never lemme live it down." Bendy gave another slow blink, the sharp pains from before starting to fade though the duller aches remained. "Th'ght the door w's locked…"_

 _"It, usually is." Alice conceded from over his head, eyes briefly glancing around the mostly dark landing before snapping back to Bendy as his singular eye slid closed, soreness and exhaustion starting to drag him down into mercifully painless darkness. "Bendy, stay awake, please? I don't think you're supposed to try sleeping when you're this hurt."_

 _It, sounded like a reasonable bit of medical advice, but the devil really didn't want to stay awake when every part of his body felt like it had been hit with a hammer and his head was starting to pound in time with the other aches. However, the fact that a tremor had had made its way into the angel's previously calm tone was enough of a reason for Bendy to force his eye open again, though focusing on anything was extremely difficult all of a sudden._

 _"Hurts, Al." The little toon couldn't help but whine, his eyelid starting to slide down again despite his best efforts._

 _"…It certainly looks like it does." The angel replied faintly, her thumb brushing under his left eye. A clatter at the top of the stairs caused Alice to look up to the top landing, though Bendy finally lost the fight with his exhaustion and his eye closed, mind sinking into a half-present haze. He could faintly hear voices, recognizing Alice, Boris, and Henry._

 _"-he alright?"_

 _"Where's Joey?"_

 _"Couldn't come fast enough with…just bring him upstairs. Joey'll help him."_

 _The sensation of being lifted caused a wave of pain to roll through the little toon's body, a whimper easily met by a calming voice, Henry's voice, quietly speaking reassuring phrases and bits of nonsense to the little devil, lulling him back into a half-asleep haze-_

-Bendy blinked, the room swimming into focus as he rose up from the memory-induced fog. Out of all of the things he was expecting to see behind the door, a pool table wasn't one of them. There was also another gate sitting on the opposite end of the room, though the devil found it was stuck tight. Quite frankly it looked as though it hadn't moved in years. That observation in mind, Bendy figured that maybe he really didn't need to see what was back there. Not to mention there weren't any trash cans in here.

His loop around the room did alert him to the fact that the billiard balls were set up like somebody was raring for a game. Bendy paused to consider the table more closely, peering over the lip of the border at the triangular formation. How did one play this game again…?

Oh, right, they had to hit the white one and use that to steer the balls into the holes. At least, Bendy thought that might've been how it went, he hadn't exactly had a wealth of opportunities to play.

Operating on a spark of impulse, not to mention the place was dead quiet, Bendy levied the axe to rest on the edge of the pool table and angled it to strike the white ball. With a series of clicks, the triangle shattered into individual balls rolling all about the billiard table. Bendy was about to try hitting it again before he noticed something odd about one. What he had at first thought was a design similar to the other balls was instead revealed to be an iris and pupil, all the more visible as it rolled around on the old pool table. Not to mention, it certainly wasn't pie-cut or toony in any way. He was definitely looking at someone's eyeball. A real, human eyeball.

Bendy's stomach flip-flopped at the realization, his feet shakily carrying him out of the room. Closing the door behind him the little devil immediately hurried for the stairs, hoping to put some distance between himself and…that.

Despite the adrenaline from the whole experience the spurt of energy was quick to run dry. Bendy's steps had slowed by the time he got to the top of the stairs, head hanging and tail dragging against the floor. Absently, he noted that he was in what looked like the projectionist's booth, though for the moment he paid it no mind. Instinctively he went for the space between a chair and the wall, shaking slightly as he eased down to sit. There was a garbage can in the corner, though that was as devoid of keys as the rest. Instead of getting back to his feet to continue Bendy stayed balled up on the floor, head resting on folded arms as his shoulders shook. He didn't move for a long while, the eventual start of a headache causing him to creakily raise his head to massage in between his eyes and catch sight of some spots of ink dotting his sleeves.

It was annoying, but it wasn't as if he had no idea about what might have been behind the sudden burst of pain. He had been losing a fair amount of ink since he'd woken up, it was only natural that there be some physical symptom starting to make itself apparent. There'd certainly been no shortage of things for him to get stressed over. Also he hadn't exactly eaten anything since the warehouse, however long ago that was. The slight shape in the devil's pocket reminded him of the soup, and he pulled out the small can to have a closer look. Still bacon soup, and he could make out nothing that looked like an expiry date…

On a whim he cracked open the top, giving the stuff inside a hesitant sniff. The odor of pork product was more than a little present, his mouth twisting but the devil did have to concede that there was no familiar rotten reek that would have been present if it had gone off. Just concentrated grease and bacon odor.

Before he could think too hard on what he was about to do (or get another whiff and loose his nerve), Bendy threw the can back and drained the soup in three gulps. Shuddering at the feel of the syrupy, gloopy mush traveling down his throat, the little toon put the can in the garbage as he wiped his mouth on his ink-spotted sleeve, and tried not to think too hard on how great it would be if he had some water to wash the taste out of his mouth. While he was trying to clean up, his eyes happened to light on a cassette deck perched on the railing of the booth, right next to a projector. Curiosity exhaustedly piqued, Bendy reached up to grab it, pulling it down to rest on the floor next to him as he pressed play.

 _"Every day the same strange thing happens, I'll be up here in my booth, the band will be swinging, and suddenly Sammy Lawrence just comes marching in and shuts the whole thing down. Tells us all to wait in the hall. Then I hear him. He starts up my projector, and dashes from the projection booth and down to the recording studio like the little devil himself was chasing behind. Few seconds later, the projector turns off. But Sammy, oh no, he don't come out for a long time. This man is weird. Crazy weird. I got half a mind to talk to Mr. Drew about all this, I really do. But then again. I have to admit…Mr. Drew has his own peculiarities."_

Though tiredness still pulled at his limbs and thoughts, the flow of information was enough to get Bendy's brain going again. From what he remembered Sammy had been many things, but he wasn't crazy, often having a sharpness to him that was only rivaled by Joey. If he did this not just once but multiple times, there had to be some kind of reasoning behind it. Especially if this was still following the ink machine and Sammy was dealing with the leaks and the pump being in his office. It must have been one heck of a secret if Sammy was the only one to know about it; Bendy would have thought that the sharp-eyed projectionist Norman Polk might've known a little more. The behavior itself didn't seem crazy, per say, insomuch as just odd. Then again, it wasn't like he and Sammy were pals, so maybe he'd figured something out while he was holed up down here. If anything, Boris and Alice were…

Bendy stopped that line of thought right there, shaking his head against his folded-up arms before pulling himself to his feet.

He didn't have time to reminisce or get upset. He needed to keep going. He could have that breakdown once he got out of here. All of these were put as fuel to the devil's mind, like promises for a job well done, much like Joey and to a lesser extent Henry would do for him and the others, except failure in this case would likely mean severe injury or death, so…

…just stop thinking for a bit.

Peering down to the band stage, Bendy noted the presence of a cutout down in the middle of the instruments with a touch of wary irritation. That would be fun to deal with…Still, nothing really looked too out of the ordinary…

There might be a couple more garbage cans he could check though. Even still, with the words on the recording resonating through Bendy's mind it seemed only fair that he give the projector a try.

The machine clicked on easily enough, the reel playing a blank white screen which dark, pie-cut eyes stared at before concluding that nothing was going to happen, and he might as well get a move on. The little devil hurried down the stairs and came round to the other end of the sign, continuing right this time instead of down to the offices. Silently opening the door, he stiffened upon noticing that the cutout was gone from the band stage, and from the room entirely it seemed. Unless it had tucked itself away behind the door.

A quick, cautious glance confirmed that that was not the case, and the little devil tried to keep a solid knot of dread from tying up his stomach. Passing a look up at the ceiling as he walked in, Bendy noticed the projector quietly click off overhead, his eyes drifting from that booth to the one next to it.

Tilting his head, the devil tried to see what was in the other compartment. Actually, now that he thought of it, how did anyone even get up there? He was pretty sure he'd gotten to the other doors and there hadn't been-.

The horribly familiar sight of a frozen grin cut the little toon's thoughts off cold, and his feet skittered back against the stage. His brain only caught up with what his body was doing when the sudden resistance caused him to fall backwards onto his rear. Still, he couldn't quite bring himself to look away, given that he knew without a doubt he was looking at the same cutout that had been down on the stage just a minute ago. Was there another door around somewhere?

A brief, cursory look revealed nothing, but there was a recording booth lit up across the room, a door clearly present. Glancing between the cutout and the booth, Bendy walked closer to the other end, reaching up to see if he could maybe put a hand through to the inside and nope, that's glass. Passing another look up at the cutout just to be sure it hadn't moved, Bendy's eyes landed on another gate. It looked exactly like the one that had let him into the music department, maybe that was the way to get to the other booths?

…If that was the case, maybe he'd better not open it. Granted, what were the odds that he'd end up needing something behind this? Too high at this point, given his luck.

Though something that had been said on the recording upstairs was starting to come back to Bendy, the mention of Sammy turning on the projector and running down here, even going so far as to stop the whole band mid-recording. Maybe this was where he had been going? But if that was the case, why did he have to be so cagey? Pressing the side of his head to the gate, all Bendy could feel was a slight vibration through the metal. Not strange in and of itself, everything kind of vibrated in the studio from what Bendy remembered. Maybe there were mechanical parts or something…

Stepping back from the door, the little toon looked back up at the booth over his head just to confirm that yes, the cutout was still there before catching sight of another garbage can next to the piano. And, lo and behold, this one actually managed to produce a set of keys. As he turned, Bendy ended up facing the recording booth again, and this time his eyes lit on something under the window.

It looked like another cassette deck, the sight of which gave Bendy only a half-second's pause before he picked it up, deciding to settle himself partially behind the piano. He glanced up again before he hit play.

 _"It may only be my second month working for Joey Drew, but I can already tell I'm gonna love it here! People seem to really enjoy my Alice Angel voice. Sammy says she may be as popular as Bendy some day. These past few weeks I have voiced everything from talking chairs to dancing chickens. But this is the first character I really felt a connection with. Like she's a part of me. Alice and I, we are going places."_

This was…Alice's voice actor, right? What was her name again? Bendy could remember her a little, though she'd often be down here and so busy that he maybe only got to meet her a handful of times and usually in passing. She seemed very nice, perhaps Alice knew her better than the devil did his own voice actor.

Actually in retrospect if how Alice's voice actor had viewed Alice was any bit different from how Bendy's voice actor had viewed him then Alice was probably way better off.

And, while it had been nice, the little toon figured that he better get a move on with unlocking the closet. He left the tape deck on the floor and ran out, giving one last look to the cutout in the booth before leaving. Heading back down the hall, Bendy couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief once he'd managed to get the closet door open. Though at first, he was a little underwhelmed by what he found. Just some more weird food things in what seemed like little bowls of ink, some unlit candles, and he couldn't even begin to have a hope of seeing what was on the topmost shelf. However, one bit of proverbial sunshine came in the form of another cassette deck sitting up on the middle shelf. Bendy pulled it down and tucked himself against the side wall of the closet before pressing play.

 _"Every artistic person needs a sanctuary. Joey Drew has his and I've got mine. To enter, you need only know my favorite song. The banjo playfully clucks, the bass fiddle sings with deep articulation, the drums thunder in triumph, the violin shudders with a piercing voice, the drum echoes out once more. Sing my song and my sanctuary will open to you."_

And with that, the tape clicked off, leaving Bendy in silence. Well, he definitely knew what Sammy had been doing when he'd run downstairs to the studio from the projector booth; he was playing the combination for this, sanctuary. Judging from what he'd heard earlier, the projector also needed to be running as well, or else why would Sammy have taken the time to turn it on?

Question was, did Bendy really need to get into the sanctuary? He wasn't sure what could be in there that would be useful to him now, except maybe the opportunity to take a break. However, breaks weren't what he wanted, he wanted to get out of here!

Maybe, maybe there would be something that would help him, though honestly the little toon couldn't see how, unless it was something to get rid of the leak in front of Sammy's door-.

Wait, what if it was?

The thought firmly in mind, and really it wasn't as though the devil had very many options at this point, Bendy walked out of the closet and immediately looked up at a flicker of motion in front of him. There was another ink-covered horror coming from the pool across, drawing towards the devil. Its form glistened eerily in the light as it pulled itself down the hall, Bendy not reacting as fast as he would have liked though his axe left a sizable impression in its head. It stopped, fingers and arms twitching to a halt inches from the little devil's frame before the whole body fell apart into loose ink, leaving a small puddle, and a very startled and disturbed toon in its wake.

His breathing was coming a little too fast, he realized as his feet began to back him up into the closet door and his fingers were gripping the axe with such force that it was starting to hurt. He needed to…stay calm, that was it, just stay calm. He could go check out Sammy's sanctuary and hopefully, fingers crossed, there would be something that he could use to get him at least one step closer to getting out of this nightmare.

Almost there, just breathe, in and out, that was it…

It took a few minutes, but eventually Bendy managed to stave off the jitteriness and maneuver himself down the hall, a little more guarded than before and with adrenaline still rattling about his system. Passing a glance at the organ room, the devil came level with the end of the hall, and almost had all of his hard work undone when a puddle disgorged another dark, gloopy monster which beelined towards Bendy. In this case the nerves came in handy, as the toon devil was quick to bring his axe down on the thing's head.

To his credit, Bendy didn't freeze up quite like he did before, but there was a brief moment of disorientation before he remembered that he had to turn on the projector first. His legs didn't shake too bad on the stairs, and by the time the toon reached the booth he'd managed to get his breathing back under control, taking a few more moments to steady himself with his hands clenched tight over the axe handle. Bendy didn't dare close his eyes though, still gazing down the stairway as though waiting for something to come up and trap him in the booth.

It took a few minutes to come out of the panicky haze, but Bendy eventually snapped back into the mindset of what he knew he needed to do; turn on the projector and run downstairs to play the instruments below. A gloved hand shakily reached up, taking a moment to find the button before turning the mechanism on just as his feet pushed off on the floor.

Bendy was almost embarrassed to say that it took him three tries to actually get the set-up needed, and if he were to blame anything in particular it would be the lack of reach his legs had when running and the fact that corners were involved. What made it even worse was what the cutouts were doing while this was going on; instead of simply hiding around corners waiting to scare him, they moved from the band stage to the other booth that Bendy couldn't get to, and grew in number from a mere two to at least five by the time he was done. Even still, he did manage to get the right combination of instruments played before the projector turned off on the fourth go around. Panting with the amount of heat having built up under his clothing, Bendy had a moment to gloat, sticking his tongue out at the cutouts before a sudden grinding noise caused the little toon to yelp and try squeezing himself into the shadow of the drum. He waited a few moments before stepping cautiously out and to the edge of the stage, coming down to see that the gate was now open, light casting long rays across the floor.

So this was Sammy's sanctuary, the devil thought as he stepped quietly to stand next to the piano, looking into the room to see a long hallway with instruments tucked away on the sides. The corridor branched off, keeping him from seeing what lay at the end of it though with no other options Bendy treaded carefully inside. Coming around the corner, the devil paused at the sight that met his eyes, for a few, varied reasons.

One reason was that the floor was occupied by another one of the spell-circles that Bendy had been seeing all over the place, this one bigger, and nearly encompassing the few pieces of furniture in the room. The other reason was that apart from the presence of a desk, a stool, and a banjo, the circle was also partially eclipsing the space a toilet occupied. The contrast was almost comedic, Bendy not sure if he was to be afraid of the scene or think it funny. Even if nothing in the studio seemed particularly primed to be. What completely drove even the very idea of humor from the situation was the writing on the wall behind the desk.

 **SING A HAPPY SONG**

 **WHISTLE A MERRY TUNE**

 **WAIT FOR HIS ARRIVAL**

 **HE'S COMING VERY SOON**

…If this was in the same vein as the 'HE WILL SET US FREE' messages, Bendy was fairly sure he wanted to hurry up and get out of here as quickly as possible. It did cause the gears in his mind to turn, the idea presenting itself that Sammy had written this. But, from what the little devil remembered, the crazy ramblings seemed so unlike the music director. Sammy had been kind of sarcastic, a little grumpy, to the point that Bendy wondered precisely how Boris got on so well with the musician.

Small miracles though, there was in fact a valve that looked like it might be the one that cut the ink flow to the broken pipe in front of Sammy's office. Even had a nice little sign on it saying so. Edging around and trying to keep his eyes on the circle as well as the objects partly in it, Bendy managed to make it to the wheel.

Unfortunately, he had to turn in order to make a dent in actually moving it, and his feet were just on the rim of the circle inked into the floorboards. As Bendy looked away from the scene, shuffling his axe in his arms to grab the wheel, a faint noise started to rise in his ears. A sort of whispering, like what he'd heard upstairs in the room with Boris. He hadn't paid much attention to the sound at the time, but with the adrenaline powering him Bendy felt like his senses had been upped to the nth degree. Which let him realize that the noise was definitely not the pipes hissing. But, if it was whispering, then where was it coming from?

Glancing back at Sammy's bizarre little setup, not to mention the writing on the wall, Bendy's gaze dropped down to the circle, eyes widening for a moment as a brief flash of intuition went through his mind. Another memory briefly pushed through, of what had happened in that room with the coffins, the thought crowning the panic that roared to life in the little devil's mind. Yanking the wheel, he managed to make it creakily turn on its axel, frantically pushing until he wasn't able to push it any further. Whirling around, Bendy made sure he was holding the axe at the ready as he skirted the edge of the circle before speeding in the direction of the door.

And jolting to a halt when he saw a familiar painted grin pull out of sight just past the doorframe. The devil paused entirely, axe lifting a little higher as he considered his options. He couldn't stay here, and the last time he'd seen a cutout do this, it really hadn't led to any harm. The worst that had happened was he'd been spooked, and that was a pretty easy thing to fix. Just remember that he was almost out, almost gone. He could panic later.

Taking one step, then another, Bendy inched his way down the rest of the passage, coming back out to the music studio. His eyes went to the booth over the piano and immediately the little toon felt ice settle in his guts, stance growing hunched and guarded though he kept his gaze riveted to the space.

The very much occupied space, though this time it wasn't just by cutouts. Shifting around in the shadows of the booth and appearing to look down at him, Bendy could see the person from the hallway. Given the fact that they were stationary this time, the devil could make out how they weren't just dressed in black, more than they were composed of it, with a pair of overalls that reminded Bendy of Boris, and a mask of the toon's own, eerily smiling face affixed to theirs. Next to them was one of the cutouts, though the devil dismissed that as one of his problems.

A sudden gurgling noise caused the toon to rip his gaze from the figure, looking forward to see a bunch of ink puddles, ones that he was sure weren't there when he'd gone in. All had a whole mess of dark, half-formed horrors spew forth, making their way to where Bendy was.

To his credit, the little toon didn't scream, barely made a sound and even got the axe ready just in time to give a broad, sweeping swing that cut through the first two of the pack. A third almost snuck up behind the fallen, with Bendy managing to reverse the swing quickly enough for the creature to not grab him and instead get an axe through the shoulder. Another two immediately followed, forcing the devil to skitter to the side to get some distance and build up momentum. He managed to get one but missed with the second. The toon hurriedly reworked his grip to drive the axe into the thing's chest just as its arms started to reach past the flimsy protection to grab onto his coat. Just as the long fingers began to curl around his arm it dissolved, Bendy swallowing to stop himself from focusing too hard on how close it had been.

And now things were quiet, ink puddles fading and the noise of fighting echoing off the high ceiling before leaving the toon in silence. Creakily he looked up at the booth, and fought down another squeeze of fear to his insides when he realized that the person from before was still very much present, and was sitting there rocking back and forth on what seemed like their heels.

Whoever it was, they were crazy, had to be. Nobody just watched someone fight for their life like that and didn't do anything, barely even said anything and just stared like that.

While Bendy still had no idea who the person was, and still had even less of a clue as to what was happening or what role the figure overhead had to play in all of this, he knew for a fact that he didn't want whoever that was near him. Didn't want them touching him, didn't even want to be under that line of sight any longer.

Taking his eyes off the person just to be sure he wasn't about to run into the doorframe, Bendy raced out of the room and down the hall before something occurred to him, causing his steps to slow to a jog. Whoever that was had been in the booth next to the projector, blocked off by a wall. The devil was also plenty sure he'd opened all the doors, and there were none that had led him to the other booth. And, even if the person tried climbing down or across, they likely wouldn't be able to do it without hurting themselves, which would slow them down and give Bendy more time to get away.

While the thought did bring a slight ray of sunshine to the situation, the mood plummeted at the sight of Sammy's office door, with a puddle of ink still blocking it. Forcing back a frustrated, borderline hysterical scream, the little devil considered the window looking into the office, wondering if he could swing the axe hard enough to break through. Course, that would involve walking through the ink puddle along with broken glass and after everything he'd experienced Bendy was pretty sure that would only end so well.

…Okay, think. The valve in Sammy's sanctuary had to have been for something, maybe it was somewhere else he could go, somewhere which might have another valve?

The question caused an idea to form in Bendy's mind, the devil heading back down the corridor to see if his hunch had been correct. Turns out, he'd been right; the infirmary stairwell had been completely drained of ink, with the room below looking clear too.

Alright, he'd try this. But if it turned up nothing he was going to go back to the idea of using the axe.

Carefully descending the stairs, Bendy came upon a relatively small room, with a couch, a cot, and a table with a few chairs and a record player sitting atop it. The floor was more than a little slick with ink, forcing Bendy to be careful as to where he put his feet. He only had a moment to take it in before a shape rose from one of the puddles with a faint groan, the devil instinctively swinging at the noise and managing to behead the half-formed monster. Keeping a careful eye on the other puddles, Bendy edged a little further in, catching sight of what looked like a switch on the far wall, next to the cot. There was a sign above it that was partly in shadow, though the little devil was able to make out the words once he'd gotten a little further in; UTILITY ACCESS.

There was also another pipe sitting against the wall next to the switch, with a spot for a valve, though the wheel itself was missing.

…Well, at least the switch gave him something to work with. Pulling it caused a faint vibration to run through the floor, a sound like a raising gate echoing up from a door that Bendy saw as he turned to look. Hesitantly padding across to the landing, the devil peered down the decrypt staircase. He definitely could say for certain that he wasn't looking forward to this, but, on the off-chance that there was another valve down there…

Thankfully, there were no further surprises on the stairs themselves, though when Bendy got to the bottom, immediately seeing the open gate on his right, he checked to the left and saw a meshed-in opening, a space reminding him of a sewer beyond it.

A space that curved to the left, with a light down at the end casting a shadow on the wall. A shadow that looked suspiciously like the person that he'd seen up in the booth back when he'd gotten out of Sammy's sanctuary.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, and internally screaming about how had they even gotten down here, Bendy skirted towards the right, facing forward just in time to see a message written on the wall directly across from the door.

 **DOWN HERE WE'RE ALL SINNERS**

Oh, well if that wasn't just cheery…Though Bendy couldn't say he was overly happy about the fact that he'd ended up in an ink-logged sewage tunnel. Out of all the things he could say he'd done in thirty years, walking through a sewer wasn't one of them. Once Bendy'd learned what they were, he'd also learned that it was best to stay away for the sake of his nose.

However, much like before, there was another surprise to the left. Part of the tunnel had been blocked with a couple boards, nowhere near enough to hide the bobbing, half-formed shape that sat on the other side. With the right being the end of the tunnel Bendy was forced to edge towards the monster, fueled by the thought of the masked person and what might happen if they managed to find a way through to him. What the devil found was that he needn't have worried, as the monster sunk back down into the ink once he came close.

This did not stop Bendy from seeing first the bowler hat that the thing was wearing, and then that it was holding the missing valve in its hands.

"Hey-!" He hissed out, desperation forcing him to reach through the boards after it, but it was far too late. The monster had already submerged and looked to be long gone along with the valve. Still, he now had a heading, he just had to find it again!

Swinging his axe, Bendy chopped through the lower plank before starting forward, throwing a glance or two behind him just in case the masked person was following. That effort only worked until the tunnel started to curve up ahead and brought into sight another bit of writing on the wall.

 **THE SHEEP WILL COME TO SLAUGHTER**

It made Bendy's sloshing rush stall, the devil questioning if coming down here had been the right idea. Things like that certainly seemed to suggest otherwise, though with the memory of Sammy's still-flooded door coupled with the ink-logged exit pushed him to go further. He just had to be quick, just get in and get out, his options were already limited as it was. Briefly, the smaller toon entertained the thought of going back up and trying to find something else to use, maybe put together a makeshift valve, but he relinquished the idea given that it would take too long. With a masked nut and monsters roaming the music department, every second counted.

An odd light source drew Bendy's attention to what at first looked like a hole in the wall, before he came up on it and realized that it was, for all intents and purposes, a fully-fledged office. The sight was almost mind-boggling in and of itself, as who in the heck would be crazy enough to work down here?! Not only did everything absolutely reek of ink at the moment, Bendy could only assume that when there were people frequenting the studio, this had actually been used as a sewer. Which meant that there would have likely been all kinds of disgusting…sewer-y things that he wasn't going to think too hard about given the ankle-deep fluid he was sloshing in. He sincerely hoped it was all just ink, though remembering the eye he'd found on the billiard table, Bendy wasn't sure he'd waste too much time trying to give a definitive and researched answer. It being ink was bad enough, in all honesty…

However, the spot did give the devil ample space to stop for a breather and take stock, not to mention that there might be something of note. Hauling himself up onto the 'floor', Bendy peered about at a desk, a chair with a violin resting next to it, and a cassette deck sitting on the desk amidst old sheets of paper. Quickly checking that company wasn't coming up the tunnel, Bendy pressed play.

 _"I love the quiet, and that's hard to come by these busy times. And yeah sure it may stink to high heaven down here. But it's just perfect for an old lyricist like me. Sammy's songs always got some bounce, but if I didn't get away once in a while, they'd never have any words to go with them. So I'll keep my mind a-singin' and my nose closed."_

Lyricist, a song-writer. Had he known this person too? Probably not, he rarely worked with the music department, Boris would have known better-.

Bendy cut the thought off, shaking his head and hurrying out of the tiny, hole-in-the-wall office to skirt along the border of the tunnel for as far as he could. It was, admittedly, hard to do with the axe, but the devil was able to get a few feet before he was forced to step back into the mire. Not that he had to stay in it for very long, as he came upon a platform with a doorway to the right. Passing by another cutout, Bendy peeked round the corner to see a room with what looked like a gas tank on the right. A flicker drew his eyes to the hat-wearing monster that he'd seen before, hovering in between the tank and a matching one on the left. Behind sat what looked like a box with chains leading up into the ceiling, though Bendy only had eyes for the inky monster holding the valve that he needed.

Dashing into the room, Bendy hurtled towards the behatted monster, just barely stopping himself from crashing into the box when it dove under the ink. Growling, he pushed himself away, the devil only needing to listen for a moment to realize that the creature hadn't left the room. From the faint splattering and groaning, it had come up again right behind the left-side, well, right-side for him now. Right back…there!

Launching himself forward, Bendy wheeled round the corner just in time to see the monster vanish under the ink, again. Groaning in frustration, the devil was about to turn when his eyes caught sight of a lever on the tank, and his ears happened to pick up on the sound of the monster coming up somewhere behind him.

Well, seeing as he had nothing left to lose and a steadily ticking clock, he might as well try it. Yanking the lever only made the box raise up, the sight causing Bendy to gape with a twitch jerking a pie-cut eye before he gave a strangled, frustrated holler through his teeth. Wheeling about, he dashed to the opposite end of the room, only to meet with the exact same result as before.

"GetbackhereIdon'thavetimeforthis!" Bendy half-hissed, half screeched as he moved about, spotting a can of bacon soup sitting on a rim of metal, along with another switch. Pulling the switch and grabbing the can, Bendy heard the racket of something dropping into the ink. The reason for the noise only made sense once he dashed round the corner with the can upraised and saw that the box had dropped back down.

The confusing thing was how quiet it was all of a sudden. The devil felt his temper stall at the change, his hand closing tightly around the axe handle and the soup can respectively as he edged forward. It took him a good moment to figure out why, the sight of a familiar bowler hat and the edge of the valve sticking out of the ink causing Bendy to connect the dots.

True, he'd been offing ink monsters almost left and right since he'd gotten down here, but this was the first that had done something other than try to get him. Now that he wasn't caught up in the adrenaline and frustration of the situation, Bendy couldn't help but wonder if there might have been a reason for that. It had looked different from the others; did that mean that this one had been more…self-aware?

The presence of the bowler hat definitely seemed to imply something of the sort, Bendy giving it a disturbed, slightly remorseful look as he considered the article while shoving the soup can in his pocket. The only thing that really pushed the little devil to keep moving after he'd grabbed the valve was the mental reminder that even though this creature hadn't meant to kill him, the others down here certainly didn't care for his well-being.

The masked person in particular came to mind, the reminder as to what he went through in the instrument room pushing Bendy back towards the door, leaving the bowler hat sitting in the ink. As the devil went back through the tunnel his eyes lit on the little office, the sudden reminder of the cassette deck making a thought fire in Bendy's mind. What if the person he'd been listening to was the monster that he'd seen?

There wasn't really any way to prove it, but the thought did make sense; this wasn't exactly a hotspot for workers. Heck, the lyricist might've been trapped down here while…while…

The thought made a pervading sense of guilt slog through the devil's thoughts, though his pace quickened as he headed down the tunnel. He couldn't help anyone, he couldn't do anything apart from getting the heck out of dodge, it was just like Boris…

He couldn't do anything, he couldn't help anyone, he'd just run, it might as well have been _**HIS FAULT…**_

As he bolted through the entryway up to the stairs, Bendy noticed that the silhouette that he had seen down the other hall was gone. Not daring to stick around or try to find out anything about where the mysterious figure could have headed off to, the smaller toon took the stairs at a run, heading up them two at a time. Bendy didn't stop until he got to Sammy's thankfully now ink-free office, immediately closing the door behind him and listening just in case he was about to have company.

The hallway beyond remained empty and quiet, the silence causing the devil to let out a sigh as he turned, and immediately felt his pulse seize when the lights in the office turned on with a click. After a few moments of silence confirmed that nothing was leaping out of the shadows, the toon walked around a pillar to the desk now lit up by a lamp. On it was a radio that he let sit, though the stuff next to that was what caught his eye. Bendy clambered up onto the chair to get more of an overhead look, adjusting his hat so he could see.

They looked like, plans of some kind? Or at the very least blueprints, and once he picked out the shape of the thing in question Bendy was able to place the subject quite easily. It was the ink machine, or an older, less complicated version of the ink machine judging from the more simplified look to it. Though Bendy could make out little scribbles of 'ink machine mrk 2' up in the corner. Mark two, as in not the first version of the hulking monstrosity he turned on upstairs. The differences that he could pick out between what he remembered and what sat on the paper confirmed that this was some sort of prototype.

Had Joey been planning on reworking the ink machine before, whatever happened happened? Or were these old plans for a previous version? And for that matter, why would the plans be in Sammy's office of all places? Even without the recordings from earlier it was common knowledge that the music director had no love for the thing.

In the end, the presence of the blueprints was interesting, but not what Bendy had come in here to find. That was behind him, on the wall opposite the door. Upon reading the words 'PUMP CONTROL' emblazoned over the lever, the little devil felt his face pull into a smile so strong and relieved that it almost hurt, and he got off the chair to get a closer look.

The switch had a fair bit of age clinging to it, like no one had tried to use it in a long while. Also, his height meant that Bendy had to grab it close to the actual panel, which he only needed to try once to be sure of the fact that he needed a leg up. Pushing the brim of his hat out of his eyes, he took in the chair next to Sammy's desk and immediately felt an idea-fueled smirk make its way across his face.

The chair only stuck to the floor for a moment, before a noise like ripping tape shattered the silence and the wooden legs slid across the floor with a low screech of noise that had the devil nearly jumping out of his skin. Listening for any reply yielded nothing, and even though paranoia had him going up to the window to peer out he could still see no one. Still, Bendy could say that he definitely didn't want to get the attention of anything else that might be roaming around, so he made as quick and quiet work as possible of pushing the chair so that he could stand atop it and get a good grip on the switch. The higher vantage point gave him a bit more by way of power, and after a few moments of leaning his weight onto it, the switch slid down into the on position. Almost as soon as he realized, Bendy was off the chair, hand grabbing his axe as he practically tore out of the office to get to the exit. He made it to the end of the hall, slowing down for a moment as something registered at the edge of his hearing. It didn't sound like footsteps, but it had been close.

Bendy turned, looking back in the direction he'd come from just in time for a terrific blow to land directly on his head. The force made his whole body spin like a top before it dropped to the floor. Through a concussion-hazed brain, Bendy wondered if he should be seeing stars or tweeting birds as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Rest your head, it's time for bed…"

A black figure appeared at the fringes of his darkening vision, and Bendy winced at the feeling of cold, slippery fingers tugging at his hat, and roughly pulling it off. Just as he sunk fully into the encompassing black, the devil could make out a light, surprised noise from somewhere over his head.


	3. Ch2: Cultists On Board

A/N: And here's our technically-first chapter, tweaked and hopefully a bit more coherent in spots! Again, any spelling or grammatical errors, don't hesitate to let me know.

Also, if anyone has any commentary on the additional scene in here, feel free to drop a line about that too. I always enjoy hearing feedback.

* * *

Cultists on Board:

Even before surviving out on the streets, if you were to ask Bendy if being tied up was one of the worst things to wake up to, he would have told you it had to be somewhere in his top fifteen to ten. What would push it into the top ten would be if upon waking up he was to hear a somewhat familiar voice quietly murmuring the following:

"My lord has returned…soon we will be free…very soon now…"

Once the whispered words sunk in, Bendy's eyes flew open, pie-cut pupils dilating with shock at the sight before him. Standing entire heads over him was a tall, inky figure wearing only overalls and a paper mask of Bendy's own face. Their hands were clasped in a familiar form of prayer though when Bendy's wakefulness made his bonds creak the figure stiffened, head jerking to look down at the shorter toon. Or at least, that's what seemed to happen, it was hard to tell through the mask. With the somewhat familiar, more human features gone, Bendy was at a loss for how to react, or really what to expect beyond the mummery he'd heard since he'd gotten here. He'd seen the pentagrams, the written words on the walls and the various implements scattered about, but this just made the gravity of everything crash back into focus in the same horrible way it had when he'd stumbled upon Boris.

"Who's, what's going on?!"

At this, the figure fell to their knees, kneeling in front of the horribly confused and anxious devil. Over their form, Bendy briefly caught sight of another gate, and his axe propped up on a dividing wall nary a foot away. Useful, if he wasn't tied up and there wasn't a crazy psycho of an ink monster in between him and it…

"My lord, my lord…" It chimed in that maddingly familiar voice. "We your servants have long awaited your return…"

"Explainin' nothin' there, pal. Who's we?" Bendy snapped, trying to sound more in control of the situation than he was while attempting to maneuver his wrists out of the bindings.

The manner in which their head snapped back up to 'look' at him caused Bendy to nearly leap out of his skin. For a brief moment, Bendy had to quash the mental image of the thing jumping at him much like the half-formed ink monsters had been doing.

"Your sheep, my lord, have long since been awaiting your return, for you to set us free from this prison." Barely a second passed, before the inky being's voice suddenly slipped a few octaves to the point where it went from creepy to downright predatory.

"I wish to be free from this… _prison of a body_."

A nervous warble of a laugh made its way out of Bendy's suddenly very dry throat, instinct dictating that he should keep talking even though really, how did a guy even answer that?!

"Ah, pretty sure I can't go givin' you a redesign, pal, an animator on the other hand…or maybe a doc, I dunno what-."

"Oh, you can't." The being's voice smoothly overrode the little devil's, sweet as molasses but with everything else going on, Bendy was hardly going to trust the thing for any change of heart.

"At least, not yet."

The simple sentence made the world stop on a dime, Bendy staring upward at the thing's nonexistent face as he tried to parse together some meaning, some hint for what was coming.

"I will restore you, my lord, I will bring you to your zenith," They said with a tone of pure reverence, hushed but crashing loud over Bendy's absent ears. ", and as you claim your rightful power, I hope you do not forget the orchestrator of your return."

The last was said in a quiet, madly wistful tone like the rest, but the words coupled with the voice finally caused something to break through the deadening shock. As the being turned away, walking to the side of the room, Bendy found his voice again.

"Lawrence? Sammy Lawrence? Izzat you?"

The somewhat hoarse series of questions got the man-turned-ink-blot to pause, though if Bendy were hoping that this would lead to some reversal of fortunes, he was sadly disappointed.

"Yes, my lord. It is I. And now, we will begin."

It was only then that Bendy happened to look down and notice the pentagram round his feet, just as Sammy came forward again holding in his arms what looked like some sort of jar about the size of a man's torso. The jar looked to be made of either very dark clay, or glass with a great quantity of ink inside. But by far the most alarming thing was the pulsing that the little devil could feel reverberating through his own ink, seeming to emanate from something in the blackened depths of the jar.

Whatever it was, Bendy certainly didn't want to stick around to see what Sammy, if this even was Sammy, planned to do with it. Unfortunately trying to wiggle out of the binds was leading nowhere, and in desperation the toon tried a new tack.

"S…Sammy! Sammy, please, I don't want this! I don't want this! I'm tellin' you to stop! SAMMY!" The last came out as a frantic howl, but even still, the ink-covered musician placed his load into a smaller circle on the edge of the pentagram that Bendy was bound in. Not that it helped much, if anything, the reverberating thrum grew stronger. The toon tried to shy away from it, though with what seemed like a pole pressing into his back, he really had nowhere else to go.

He didn't like it, he really didn't like it. The little devil's brain screamed as the thrumming hum seeped into his small form, pulling it forward like metal to a magnet even as he tried to stay upright. Gritting his teeth, Bendy dug in his heels, eyes screwing shut with the effort not to be drawn in.

A brief look showed Bendy that the top to the jar had somehow come off, and that the ink inside was bubbling and frothing, nearly leaping into the air. The pulsing increased, his upper body leaning closer and closer to the opening even as the little devil fought so hard to keep himself straight. The tug of war was only compounded as the foaming ink began to rise higher and higher, seeming to seek out some part of the toon devil to latch onto. Off to the side, he could vaguely make out Sammy chanting, or praying, he couldn't tell which. His attention was mainly focused on not becoming whatever thing this place wanted him to be, knowing with some horrible certainty that if he let it happen, he wouldn't be Bendy anymore.

The raw terror that thought inspired forced Bendy to keep trying, too terrified to even look away as the ink in the jar grew alarmingly close to his head. He was at as much of a ninety-degree angle as the ropes allowed, breathing growing strangled and a frantic scream building in his throat. The stuff almost seemed to be far beyond what the jar should be able to contain, growing up and up and up until Bendy had to crane his neck to look, his own body still being pulled towards the top of the inky mass as a drip or two fell on his head. Even as he stared it appeared to take on shapes, rounded ones up near the top that looked like a head, with dips in the front that were positioned just right to look like eyes, the ink in them sinking deeper and deeper until they were more like portholes than actual eyes, and they were staring at him as the 'head' leaned closer and closer as Bendy's own head kept being yanked forward, he can't look away, it's staring, he doesn't want it doesn't want it go away stop _**stop**_ _**STOP**_ -.

Bendy was not really sure when his thoughts started becoming hysterical shouts, but he was almost surprised to hear them reverberating off the wooden beams and walls. It was distant in the face of complete panic, vocalizations quickly snapping and breaking off into wordless shouts of fright as the 'head' came closer and closer to his own. The sounds clashed against each other to the point that the sight of Sammy being pushed into the rising mass didn't register right away.

At least, not until Bendy heard the ink-consumed man's last shout dying away into gurgles. The toon felt something like slippery, overlarge fingers brushing against his gloves and glopping against his jacket. Just as quickly the magnetic pull lessened on the devil's body, leaving him hanging limp against the ropes in shock. It probably made it very easy for whatever was there to slip him out of his bonds, and it was only when Bendy realized that he was being picked up and tucked under something's arm that he quite simply dropped back into reality. And realized that he was being held by the one thing that he hadn't wanted to be caught by since he'd been chased by it upstairs.

Speaking was still a very forgone thing at this point so when Bendy erupted into shrill howls, thrashing like an animal caught in a trap, he was only partially surprised by his own behavior. Still, the inky thing merely tightened its grip, and kept hauling the devil off to parts unknown. He only maybe just recognized where he was, and who knows what changes Joey could have made in the years Bendy was gone. If he waited, there was the distinct possibility that the smaller toon would not be able to reorientate himself.

In a flash of inspiration, Bendy did the one thing he knew would make any adult drop him; he angled his head just so and sank his teeth into the arm of the thing holding him. Oddly enough, there wasn't as much…give, as he thought there would be, considering that he was biting something made of ink. Instead, his teeth sank through the gloopy layer and into something hard. Something that definitely made the monster drop him almost straight away, a gurgling cry of pain sounding from somewhere over Bendy's head. As soon as the little devil felt the floor under his hands and knees, he grabbed his nearby axe and bolted, taking off down another hall.

It took him to a space where the floor had caved in, the sunken spot and a few stray boards forcing Bendy to slow down as he tried to clamber and chop his way through. As he turned, he caught sight of something large moving through an opening to the right, making Bendy freeze for a moment as he peered through the somewhat blocked space to try to figure out what he'd seen. The sight of chains running lengthwise through the window confused Bendy at first, until he placed what they were apart of; the ink machine's shaft. From just the presence of the chains, coupled with the downward-heading blur he'd seen a moment ago, the smaller toon realized that somebody had made the hulking thing start to go down through the floors.

A cry coming from the room he'd just left made Bendy snap back into the moment, his gaze riveting on the new sight of the monochrome ink monster starting to amble its way through the doorway he'd just come through.

Forcing himself the rest of the way through the boards, Bendy kept a cry of fright locked in his throat, instead using precious oxygen to fuel his mad dash to a room, the floor of which was slick with ankle-deep ink. The presence of a door bolstered the toon's efforts, though his hopes were immediately dashed when he tried to open it, and found that it was locked tight. Panicking entirely, the devil brought the axe up and smashed it through the door, creating a small hole in the paneling. The sight of something moving inside made him pause, Bendy gingerly leaning close to the opening as he tried to puzzle out what he was seeing. Not that he could see very much, but he could definitely make out something metallic and shaking on the other side, the vibrations strong enough to rattle the wood.

What made the image click was the fact that the thing was reverberating in a very familiar fashion, a clunking, gurgling sound bringing a new flood of ink seeping out from under the door. A snapshot zinged in Bendy's mind; the ink machine plans on Sammy's desk. This was entirely the wrong spot to be part of the shaft he'd just seen, but if they'd had the old ink machine…

The conclusion was reached, though chased entirely from Bendy's mind at a series of splats coming from behind him. The little devil's head rotated just in time to see the monochrome ink monster pull itself into the room. As he did, a new sound came through, like someone…whistling?

It did sound like a person, and they sounded close to the door, though with the way everything had been going for him lately the devil definitely wasn't willing to trust a maybe. Instead, as the monochrome monster pulled itself across the floor, Bendy opted to go with something else.

After all, he still had the soup can in his pocket.

As the can was pitched across the room, the monster jerked to attention at the splashing clank and turned away. The instant it moved, Bendy gathered up whatever energy he still had and raced past to the door, legs moving in a toony blur as he zipped around the opposite side. It didn't take the monochrome monster long to realize that it had been tricked, wheeling in the direction that Bendy had cut through, though by that point the devil was long gone.

Even though he hadn't been nabbed Bendy kept racing forward, zooming around corners as best he could while not accidentally boxing himself into a corner. He could just hear the sound of the monochrome ink creature as it tried to follow, but it was far too slow and he'd gotten too much of a head start. Feeling an ache starting to reverberate through his legs, Bendy practically threw himself down the last stretch of hallway at a door, slamming it behind him. Letting a bar drop into place, the devil backed away just in case it wasn't enough to keep the monster at bay. Faintly, Bendy could hear gurgling howls and cries coming from the slab of wood, though apart from a wet slap the thing made no move to come through.

Even though he'd gotten away, Bendy couldn't relax, hurrying down the hall he'd found himself in to another door, easily opening it and trying to close it as lightly as possible. No need to let anything, or anyone, know where he'd gotten to. Internally, his mind was a-whirl with the idea that there were two ink machines, was that an ink machine, had he turned it on with the other somehow, was Sammy trying to maintain it, why-?

The thought was cut off when a mere step forward made the devil uncomfortably aware of the fact that he really shouldn't have done what he did. It had been a desperate situation, true, but whenever he did cartoony tricks it definitely took a toll on his stamina. His feet dragged, though he thought he could maybe make it a little further, until he could find somewhere to hunker down…

Bendy had barely taken a few steps to the other end of the room when a sudden clunk sounded from somewhere off in one of the shadowed corners, the devil turning just in time to see a can of bacon soup roll across the floor to rest somewhere to his left.

Immediately, tension began to mount again in the small toon's frame, and his hands hefted the axe a little higher to scare off whatever might be waiting for him. Was it the big ink monster or something else?

…What if it was Joey?

"Who's there?!" Bendy hollered into the darkened corner, voice and wits more than a little frayed with nerves. "C'mon out, whoever you are, where I can see you!"

"Bendy?"

The voice sounded, familiar, but the familiarity at this point just caused the devil to tense up even more, axe raising a little higher in a preemptive effort at protection. Though any insides he may have had metaphorically fell to his shoes, when out of the shadows quietly stepped a lanky figure that was both a balm to see and so horrifically wrong given what Bendy had seen since he'd gotten here.

"…Bendy?" Boris said again as he stepped forward, hands raising in an effort to reach out to the much smaller toon. Something like relief tinged with surprise flickered over the wolf's face, though his efforts to come closer were deterred as a wide-eyed Bendy jerked back, axe shaking in his hands.

"No, no!" The borderline hysterical exclamation caused Boris to step back, in both concern and slight apprehension. "St-Stay back!"

"Bendy, I…" Boris stopped, trying to gather his wits for a moment before trying again. "Wh-what's wrong?"

Nothing was forthcoming, Bendy's breathing instead grew more agitated, the axe continuing to shake in his grip as he held it ready to swing. Boris let the silence hang for a few seconds before trying again, stepping forward and keeping his voice calm.

"Bendy, it's al-."

"No, no don-don't come any closer! No more tricks!" The last came out as a frenetic shriek with Bendy jumping back another few steps, until he was against the wall. Even at the worrying behavior, the exclamation caused a confused frown to take root on the wolf's face. He'd barely said anything, how could he be tricking the little devil?

"Bendy, how'm I tricking you?" Boris asked, only to be rewarded with silence as Bendy stared at him like he was expecting the wolf to hurtle across the room at any moment. "L-Look, just come into-."

"No." Bendy growled, low but pervading enough to stop any form of humor in its tracks. "Nobody's taking me anywhere, nobody's g-gonna, you stay over there..."

The words were still warbling, somewhat hysterical, though the axe in his hands did give Bendy a little more by way of stubborn insistence. At least enough to keep Boris back where he'd come in though Bendy, for all of his somewhat manic steadfastness, still had not managed to get the axe to stop shaking. Boris's eyes briefly flitted to the implement, then the devil's face; an almost perfect mask of aggressive stubbornness if not for the faint watery sheen in his eyes. Taking time to make it visually clear what he was doing, Boris knelt to Bendy's level, keeping eye contact with the shorter toon.

"Alright, Bendy, we'll stay here." His voice was calm, level. "Nobody's gonna take you anywhere you don't want to go. It's okay."

The declaration caused some of the frenetic energy to loosen from Bendy's frame, bit by bit, but the axe still stayed upright and at the ready.

"Bendy." Boris pressed, leaning in only a few millimeters given how on edge the little devil still looked. "What's…what's wrong? Please, talk t'me, I want t'help."

The simple admission had the smaller toon shaking his head, pushing himself further into the wall. Boris moved back himself, not exactly sure what had caused the change.

"Bendy?" The wolf tried, doing his best to keep his voice calm despite the confusion and unease starting to bleed through. "What's wrong?"

The little devil's mouth worked for a moment, seemingly fighting with emotion for words.

"Hh…How'd you get down here?"

Boris tilted his head, more than a little confused by the question.

"I came down on th' lift. It's right here, we can just go-." Immediately the wolf realized that it was the wrong thing to say, as Bendy jerked back again. "Of course we don't have t'go right now! Not if you don't want to, Bendy."

The pause after his hurried attempt at fixing the situation almost went on too long, to the point where Boris found himself fidgeting uncomfortably in the quiet and half-wondering if he should say something else or try to move back towards the door.

"I saw you." Bendy suddenly blurted out, catching Boris off-guard.

"Sorry?"

"I saw, upstairs." The axe lowered by inches, a shaking hand taken away from the handle to make a gesture running up the length of Bendy's chest. Boris's eyes only widened, either in realization, sudden memory, or some combination of both. His eyeline dropped to the floor in between them for a moment and the tension mounted in Bendy's frame, almost as though he expected the wolf to dive at him now that the seeming jig was up.

Instead, Boris gave a partially wet chuckle, looking back up at Bendy with an expression sitting firmly on the border of light and heavy as he spoke.

"Guess I shoulda listened t'you, back then, shouldn't I?"

It was so innocent, but the question carried a solid load of weight that knocked the tension from Bendy's shoulders, the axe lowering to clunk blade-first against the floorboards though the handle remained in gloved hands. But, really, Bendy didn't have the desire to use it anymore. Even with the idea that this Boris was some sort of copy or trick and that trusting anyone or anything right now was probably a sure recipe for disaster, Bendy couldn't help but feel the weight of the past several hours crashing in on him. He had seen his closest friend's torn apart body, the remains of a place he'd once called home perverted into something that seemed hellbent on worshipping him in the worst ways, been chased by half-formed monstrosities and one that seemed particularly dead set on getting him one way or the other, and what he was ninety-nine point nine percent sure was Sammy Lawrence that had just tried to…sacrifice him? Mold Bendy into something that he was very, very sure he didn't want to be? The devil wasn't sure, and he certainly wasn't about to go back and ask.

And then there was…all this…

"Bendy?" Boris asked again, his voice sounding like it was coming from underwater. Bendy felt as though he were seeing things from outside himself as his head lifted to meet Boris's gaze, noting the wolf's increasingly worried look with detached fascination. He certainly looked real enough (almost as real as the body he'd seen upstairs, the reason he'd turned that damned machine on, wasn't this what he'd hoped for?!). It even sounded like Boris, though if he was real, then the devil'd nearly, he'd just…

With a light thunk, Bendy dropped to his knees, letting go of the axe as his hands just quietly dropped to the floor. There was another sound, Boris probably said something, but it felt like background noise compared to the distance and buzzing thoughts in his head. Even if things had already been going to hell in a hand basket, it seemed like Bendy had made things ten times worse by showing up. Whatever plan Joey had been weaving for him, it could only be worse than what was already happening. And at this point, though his mind and imagination explored it, Bendy really couldn't say that he wanted anything like this to grow even worse, nevermind the possibility of it spreading.

 _ **He should never have been made at all, perhaps…**_

And suddenly there was someone hugging him. Bendy felt himself tense, almost slipping into panic if it were not for the late realization that really, it could only be Boris doing the hugging.

Then it was like someone had just, turned the sound back on, and what Boris was saying began to crash in on Bendy's ears.

"It's alright, I've got you, Bendy, I'm here…"

It felt like the same nonsense talk one would use to calm down an upset kid, though really, Bendy was not sure he felt that kind of upset. Kid-upset tended to involve more tantrums, and he just felt really drained, mentally and physically, and couldn't bring himself to care about potential tricks and possible sacrifices he could be walking into.

He was tired, hurting, and felt like there were too many thoughts in his head vying for space, none of them very positive ones. Chief among them were thoughts of jinxes, the sharp contrast between what he remembered and what was, and if you had _**simply convinced him to come with you instead of running like a coward maybe he might not have been lying on that slab with a hole in his chest**_ _…_

"-ou alright? Bendy?" Boris was saying, pulling back and staring at the devil's face with worry. He could swear he felt the gears in his head start to groan in protest, but Bendy managed to get something like a smile on his face.

"Yeah, 'm fine." In retrospect, his earlier display would have made it pretty clear that he wasn't, but the devil really didn't want to go into the particulars of that at the moment. Thankfully he didn't have to; his stomach suddenly growling loud enough that anyone on the first floor could have heard was plenty distraction.

"Oh, oh geez, hold on, we've got-." Boris stumbled over his words as he outright hauled Bendy up, tucked firmly in the crook of an arm as he made a grab for the can that had been knocked across the floor a few minutes ago. Bendy just simply let himself be carried, eyes watching somewhat dully as Boris managed to grab ahold of the metal can and sat back, setting Bendy down next to him as he worked to get the can open.

"Got it!" Boris chimed in echo of the metallic peeling noise as he managed to get the top of the can open. Grinning somewhat at his success, he turned to hand it to Bendy, smile falling as he noticed that the little devil's still dull-eyed stare was aimed at the wall. Clearing his throat, Boris tried to proffer the can again, doing his best to slap a smile back on as Bendy mechanically turned to look. It took a few minutes for Bendy to remember that he should probably eat with all the energy he'd just expended. Though eventually the little devil reached mechanically for the can and pulled it close, lifting it to his mouth like one would a drink. Managing to get a few swallows down, Bendy suddenly chuckled hollowly, pulling it away to murmur quietly to Boris.

"Y'wouldn't believe me if I told ya, this actually ranks way better than some of th' things I've eaten th' past few years."

"Really?" Boris replied, somewhat hopeful given the seeming upturn in Bendy's mood.

"Yeah, durin' th' winters, allotta the time I would be eatin' stuff that came out of garbage cans. Nothin' really rotten, did have some standards, but, y'know, just…junky crud, really." Despite the fact that nothing coming out of Bendy's mouth sounded all that funny, there was still a grin spreading over the smaller toon's face. Though the more Boris looked, the more fragile the smile was and the shinier Bendy's eyes were. "Th-There was even a lady, you'll love this one, she kept makin' these pies, fer a bakery, an' I managed to run off wi' at least one every week for a few months. It was th' greatest thing…"

Bendy chuckled, the sound coming out all shaky and wrong. Boris felt the frown that had begun to take root on his face growing all the stronger, though Bendy still wasn't done talking.

"P-Pretty sure she was lettin' me, after a bit. Must've thought I was a kid and figured it didn' matter to lose a pie if I was gettin' something t'eat… Moved on after, 'bout maybe six months, but still seems…kinda strange really…" The quavering tone was getting worse, and when Bendy threw back another swig of bacon soup Boris could see the start of ink dribbles and tears starting to make their way down the little devil's face. "…just kinda…how we used to th-throw those…at each other…all th' time…in th…"

The more Bendy talked, the more warbling his voice became, the more ragged his breathing grew, and Boris for lack of anything else to do or really say placed a hand on the shoulder of the little devil's ragged coat. Bendy paused, pulling his hand away from an eye where he'd been grinding the heel of his glove in an effort to stem the tears, and looked up to meet Boris's gaze.

The smile finally crumpled, Bendy's hand turning into a fist which he used to muffle what was starting to turn into hysterical sobs. Boris really only managed to gently take the half-full can from the devil's hand before Bendy outright threw his arms around the wolf's neck, clinging desperately as everything from apologies to laments dribbled from his mouth. Somewhat stunned by the sudden turn of events, Boris only found himself hesitating for just a moment before hugging back, hoping that Bendy couldn't feel the shakes that were starting to reverberate up and down his arms.

They stayed like that for a long time, noise barely rising above whimpers and so-quiet-it-might-as-well be whispered fragments, apologies and reassurances flitting back and forth between the pair. Eventually, sobs started to taper off into quiet hiccups, and grew even quieter still as Bendy finally ran out of steam, falling asleep with an arm still thrown over one of Boris's shoulders. It took the wolf a few minutes to notice that the little devil was finally spent, though when soft snores started to drift up from the smaller frame, Boris gently began to rearrange the smaller toon so that his head was tucked against his shoulder. Keeping Bendy mostly upright with an arm, the wolf's ears pricked up as he listened, catching sounds like the low rumble of ink in the pipes overhead. He could hear nothing else, but still thought against drifting off as well; someone probably should keep watch. Even with the quiet undercurrent of tension, of hiding, Boris still refrained from waking the devil up, noting how exhausted, and careworn Bendy looked, even in the relative relaxation of sleep. The patchwork jacket and scarf added to the image, making Bendy look even smaller and more vulnerable. Boris frowned at the thought of the last word being applied to Bendy; the little devil was many things, but vulnerable was hardly what the wolf would consider one of them.

Bendy was the one that figured things out, whether it be various objects in the studio, or the people that worked in it. Most often it was to use in various pranks or games that he would somehow cobble together, but still, the little devil would often put things together in ways that Boris himself would never have thought of doing. All in the name of some laughs, really.

With all of the energy, all of the sheer gumption Bendy seemed to have, the idea of vulnerability had never quite crossed Boris's mind. Then again, he'd never really heard Bendy sound like the screams practically reverberating through the floor. Boris wasn't even sure if he wanted to know what happened, not after, well, everything earlier.

Instead, he simply made sure Bendy was comfortable, listened for any odd noises, and settled in for a wait.


	4. Ch3: Operation Get The Hell Out of Here

A/N: This one wasn't altered too much, more or less cleaned up. Should read a fair bit smoother though, have at 'em!

* * *

Operation Get The Hell Out Of Here:

It couldn't have been more than a few hours later that Bendy began to stir, coming back to wakefulness slowly at first before nearly jumping out of his skin when he realized that he was being held.

"'S alright, Bendy. Just me." The familiar voice did put the kibosh on his fear, as the events of the past few hours came flooding in. Breathing in and out, Bendy finally looked up at Boris, feeling his face settle into a somewhat sheepish grin.

"Figured, sorry about that."

Boris opened his mouth to answer, though a growing rumble in the pipes overhead caused the pair of them to look up, the wolf with confusion and the little devil with trepidation. What now?

But it seemed that the noise didn't herald anything trying to get through the door, as it passed with little to no fanfare. Bendy let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding and pushed himself to stand, Boris following soon after. The little devil pat down his coat and rearranged his scarf more out of habit than anything else, though in the moment of calm something rattled its way loose from his brain.

"Wait, Boris?"

"Yeah Bendy?"

"Do you…know where th' others are? Alice, Henry…?" When the little devil turned back to look at Boris, he tried not to let his disappointment show at the lack of an answer on the wolf's face.

"Sorry, Bendy. I didn't see anyone when I was runnin' down to th' lift."

"Oh." Came on a quiet exhale. Really, there wasn't much more Bendy felt like offering to that; getting upset with Boris certainly wouldn't solve anything.

"I'm sorry." The wolf offered, ears beginning to lower closer to his head. Bendy blinked, glancing up at Boris and immediately noticing the change from relatively chipper to contrite.

"It's alright, Boris, we might see them later, right? I mean," The little devil tried, putting a considerable amount of effort into sounding optimistic. ", just 'cause you didn't see them doesn't mean they ain't here."

"Good point." Boris offered after a moment of thought.

"Course it was." Bendy replied, keeping his voice flippant as he grabbed his axe. Which really only lasted for a few moments as the smaller toon remembered the situation they were in. "So, how do we get out of here?"

"We could try th' lift." Boris offered, the little devil internally kicking himself at forgetting the earlier mention the wolf had made. Just blame it on the earlier stress…

The pair easily padded their way over to the metallic grate. Bendy tried not to eye it with too much trepidation; Boris had used it with no problem after all.

Still, the clanking noises that the grate made when it opened weren't giving him confidence. But when the alternative was to stay down here with creepy-cut outs, things in jars, and the thing that really didn't want Bendy to get away, well, the little devil figured he could summon some up from somewhere.

It didn't stop him from mentally bracing for the inevitable sounds of the lift groaning as though on its last legs, the shuddering clanks and creaks bespeaking of years without maintenance or upkeep to the parts. Boris didn't look too outwardly worried, but Bendy caught the wolf glancing upwards a couple of times, almost as though gauging how to climb out if they got stuck. The lift eventually ground to a halt at the next floor, grated door sliding open with only a faint groan of aged metal.

Which would have been fine except for the fact that judging from the look on Boris's face, this wasn't the floor he was hoping to get off on. From what Bendy could remember of falling through the floor to the basement, there were at least three floors between them and the ground floor. Could've been more but plummeting through them didn't exactly give him time to survey how many.

He might have actually tried to ask Boris if the wolf had meant to get to the ground floor, but the metal cage gave a sudden, ominous groan that had both toons diving through the door just in time for the lift to break entirely and slide back down with a continuous shriek of metal against metal.

 _It was old,_ the little devil tried to reason. _It was probably a lot harder coming back up than it was going down. Just an accident._

 _But,_ a new, slippery line of thought went, _has anything really been accidental for you since you set foot in this place?_

"Guess that might'a been a mistake…" Boris quietly murmured, seemingly to himself though in the silence it was certainly loud enough for Bendy to hear. Shoving off the somewhat morbid thoughts, the smaller toon shrugged and attempted to keep his voice light.

"Least we're out of th' room." Despite his summoned bravado, Bendy still couldn't help but glance nervously around the hall. It looked about the same as the basement and ground floor, dripping ink from the odd crevasse and seeming like anyone trying to simply go down the hallway would need to check for rotting floorboards. "They still got th' stairs in th' same places, right?"

"Y-Yeah, they should." Boris put in somewhat haltingly, the unsure tone causing Bendy to glance up at the wolf's face. It suddenly struck the little devil that he really didn't know how long Boris, if this was the same wolf that he'd seen upstairs, had been…out of commission. They could both be dealing with a completely different floor plan, for all Bendy knew. Though the tension stewing in his gut was threatening to come back, the devil quietly mollified it with the thought that at least if he was stuck in here he wasn't on his own.

He just needed to bring his A-game. Boris had been dealing with him having a meltdown on the floor below, it was probably about time the little devil stepped up to the plate. Hefting the axe over a shoulder, Bendy flashed a grin he hoped was more confident than he felt.

"Well, let's get goin' then!"

Almost immediately, a smile pushed its way onto Boris's face, the wolf easily falling into step next to Bendy. For a moment, it was almost as though the scene was something from out of their toons, like the exit was going to be right around the next corner and they would just go walking off into the sunset while the credits rolled.

The illusion was somewhat shattered when something creaked from somewhere off down the hall, causing Bendy to jump and raise the axe to the ready. Boris too looked around, probably more because of Bendy's reaction than anything else.

Well, now he just felt stupid. Even so, Bendy cautiously eased off the idea that there should at least be something there to make him feel like less of an idiot. No need to tempt fate no matter how wounded his pride might have been.

"You think something's here?" Boris asked as they started walking again, not without his own dose of caution to add to the mix. Though it was exceptionally tempting to lie, Bendy couldn't deny the fact that the wolf might need to have more than a bare few clues as to what was happening. Especially if they got caught off guard, like with Sammy…

"Well, so far I've seen these ink-puddle things, they kinda just, sprout, out of th' stuff on th' floor…there's also, this other thing." Bendy paused, swallowing down his unease. How exactly was he supposed to explain that one monster to Boris in a way that wouldn't have the wolf worrying? Perhaps a little worry was good, but Bendy knew he didn't want the taller toon to feel anything like he was currently feeling.

"What thing?" Boris asked, frowning in a mix of confusion and concern.

"Well, you'll definitely know it when you see it, it's way bigger than th' other things in here." Except maybe Sammy, but Bendy wasn't sure how to broach that with the wolf just yet. "It's kind of, a mix of black and white, white on its chest but black everywhere else. It also seems to, well, like following me around. At least so far."

"Why d'you say that?" Boris questioned, and Bendy could make out the wolf looking down at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I first saw it up on th' ground floor, when I got th' ink machine going, and, well, right before I found you I saw it again." The devil managed to keep his voice firmly in the lighter, more explanation-oriented mode. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if Boris had noticed that he was skipping over a lot in his story. If the wolf did, he didn't mention it. Instead, Bendy caught a look of realization flash over Boris's face. Weird, maybe the wolf had seen somethi-.

And then Boris was jumping back with a gasp, and Bendy's heart almost leapt out of his chest because of both that and the sudden appearance of a cut-out round the corner they'd just been turning. It wasn't blocking the way, just sort of sitting turned towards them, though considering what he'd seen Bendy couldn't help entertaining the entirely serious thought of driving the axe through its stupid grinning face.

He probably shouldn't be feeling this way about something that looked like him, but blazes if he wasn't somewhat sick of these things. Boris for his part recovered fairly easily from the scare, gawking somewhat quizzically at the cutout before glancing down at Bendy. The little devil tried to look at least moderately not as bothered as he felt, though chances are he would probably be better off explaining this headache to Boris before they went any further.

Or about as well as he could, anyway…

"That…would be th' other thing I've been dealing with since I got here."

"What, these?" Boris queried, puzzled look slipping between the little devil and his cardboard counterpart innocently sitting near the wall.

"Yeah, they, uh…" Move around, peek around corners, seem to be at least friendly with Sammy, who tried to sacrifice him? "…also seem t'be kind of following me around."

Smooth, Bendy, smooth.

But Boris was nodding, giving the cutout another searching look as the pair passed by. Another long hallway awaited them, though for the moment it remained empty. Granted, that could change in a few short moments so for the time being the smaller toon still held onto his axe.

A sudden squelch from somewhere down the hall caused the pair to jump, the acoustics of the passage making it difficult to tell where the sound was coming from. If Bendy were to be exceptionally optimistic, he would hope that it was coming from somewhere behind them. Still, a quick glance around turned up nothing. The smaller toon peeked up at Boris, as maybe the wolf had seen something he hadn't, and a stomach-wrenching observation immediately made itself known.

Neither of them had thought to grab Boris something he could use to defend himself with before they'd gotten on the lift. If something were to attack them…

Bendy blinked, suppressing a shudder at the image of his friend strapped to the table upstairs, with his ribcage cracked open and pulled apart, that seared itself across the backs of his eyelids.

 _ **Hisfaulthisfaulthisfault…**_

"Bendy, you alright?"

The wolf had kept his voice down, but the sound still caused the little devil to almost snap to attention. No, he'd gotten distracted, had to focus, had to-.

"Y-Yeah, fine." Bendy forced out through a clenched set of teeth that could hopefully pass for a grin if he tried hard enough. He must be losing his touch; Boris wasn't looking too convinced.

And, almost as though it wanted to tap-dance on the little devil's already frayed nerves, another squelch sounded in the hall. This time, it was a little easier to pinpoint; somewhere back around the corner they had just turned, and getting closer.

Somewhere between panic and detached observation, a light bulb flicked on. Grabbing Boris's hand, Bendy led the wolf down to the end of the hall, spotting an archway through which he could see a flight of stairs. Distantly, the smaller toon could only marvel at the sheer elation the simple sight caused, though the sounds of a steady, if slow pattern of squelches coming from behind them dampened the feeling somewhat. Bendy could feel Boris starting to gain more momentum, keeping easy pace with the little devil as the pair tore up the stairs and quickly reached the landing of the next floor. Much to Bendy's displeasure, the stairs only seemed to go up to that floor, the next stairwell blocked by part of the ceiling having caved in. With a noise that crossed somewhere between a frustrated growl and a tense whine the smaller toon changed direction to the hallway, picking the second room on the right and ducking inside with Boris. A few minutes of silence passed before either of them dared to speak.

"Alright, I think we're good for the moment, but we should move on soon." Bendy whispered, quickly turning from the door to scan the room. On one wall there were a bunch of dusty animating tables, storyboards on the back wall, and off on the right side were various boxes kept close to the wall, leaving the center open. There were a few, ink-spotted sheets over things, but ultimately the room had the look of a place where the people using it had just stepped out for maybe a few months or so, like they'd be back any day now. The few, dried smears of ink on the floor, and on the walls, were the only hint to what lay outside.

"…When should we go?" Boris murmured in reply, the sudden speech snapping the little devil out of his brief reverie and back into the moment.

"Uh, in just a second, I just wanted to…" Bendy trailed off as he turned his attention to the boxes, quickly darting over and peering in as he tried to take stock of their contents. In one sat a bunch of cans of bacon soup, which Bendy only lingered on for a few moments in quiet incredulity before continuing. The next was almost empty, with a small smattering of old art supplies littering the bottom. The last was much the same, and Bendy was about to try figuring out if he could jury-rig something out of pens when Boris finally decided to chime in.

"What're we lookin' for?"

"Just…maybe somethin' like my axe…or maybe, oh!" The smaller toon dashed over to the desks, having caught sight of a loose board shoved away under one. It was a little longer than the fire axe, two finger-widths thick, and felt sturdy enough when the little devil gave it a test swing. A grin beginning to show on his face, he turned to give it to Boris. "Here, just hold onto this in case y'need it, alright?"

"Alright…" Boris replied, hesitancy plain on his face as he gingerly took the plank from Bendy's hands. The smaller toon's smile slid slowly off his face as he watched the wolf tentatively handle the board like a bat, giving it a somewhat halting swing. When Boris caught the quiet frown playing across the little devil's features, he gave a small, timidly apologetic smile.

"S-Sorry, Bendy, I was just…" The wolf paused, seeming to let whatever thoughts rattling around settle, then spoke. "It's…been that bad?"

Somehow, no clarification is really needed. Bendy can only recall what exactly has happened since he's gotten here, what he has seen, and quietly nod in response. Somehow it still feels like an admission of guilt.

The pair merely stood in awkward silence before one of them spoke, a small, barely audible 'sorry' slipping out of Bendy's mouth and into the open air. Boris blinked, the oddness of the apology clearing away the earlier hesitation.

"You don't have t'be sorry, Bendy. Pretty sure this isn't a prank." The somewhat feeble attempt did get a faint chuckle from both, though the smaller toon's humor faded much sooner.

"Yeah, I'm definitely not this patient. Even for a gag."

It was small, but the banter did help to ease some of the tension. Even so, the two toons kept their voices down as they went back and forth, falling into a familiar, if significantly quieter pattern.

"Well, if anything ever foiled you, it would be havin' t'wait for somethin'." Boris remarked, glancing into the box with the art supplies. "Remember when Henry said he had somethin' for you, but it took him th' whole day t'actually show you-?"

Bendy already knew what the wolf was talking about and could only rest his head in his hands, the embarrassment from the incident still very much alive in his memory.

"I thought I'd hurry things along by helpin' with th' story boards…" The words were somewhat muffled, but no less understandable, the grin on Boris's muzzle growing bigger as he continued.

"An' Henry came back after lunch, t-t'find you sittin' in th' middle of a bunch'a paper, with ink goin' halfway up the walls-!" Though Boris was still trying to keep his voice low, past hilarity had caused recollections to break down into barely suppressed giggles. Bendy was hardly better off; coat-sheathed shoulders shaking with mirth as he too remembered the incident in question.

"And I h-honestly thought Henry was gonna throttle m-me, but he juh-just-." And even now Bendy could remember the quiet shock and surprise as the animator merely stared at the wreckage, before sighing and giving a somewhat understanding smile to the little devil's attempts to explain.

Not that he had the oxygen to get to that part, the mere recall of the incident sending both Bendy and Boris into debilitating fits of laughter. The pair were insensate for the moment, with Bendy leaning back against the far box and Boris holding himself up on the edge of another just to stay upright. Then the board, which Boris had left leaning up against the box, slid over to clatter to the floor and both toons jumped. The laughter ceased for a moment before they realized where the noise had come from, and relaxed.

The giggles had by that point mostly tapered off, giving everyone room to breathe, and for Bendy to quietly vocalize something that had been rattling around in his mind since they'd started remembering the happier times at the studio.

"Almost makes me wish I didn't leave…"

It was soft, mostly one of those things one says out loud to themselves, but with no one else in the room and it being relatively quiet Boris picked up on it easily.

"Why did you leave, Bendy?" The wolf asked, immediately rushing to clarify. "I-I know you said it was somethin' really bad, you said you didn't feel alright stayin' here, but I don't think you ever told me what it was…you were in a real big hurry…"

Boris trailed off, thinking back to the night that the devil had left. It had seemed like a fairly normal, if quiet night. The wolf had just been thinking about heading off to bed down somewhere when he'd almost been blindsided by Bendy rushing down the hall toward him. Without speaking, the little devil had begun dragging the taller toon by the arm to one of the front rooms of the studio. Henry's, if Boris was remembering correctly. The animator had long since gone home for the night, but Bendy still liked to keep things over there so it wasn't very odd behavior.

What was odd was when the little devil had started to throw things into a small bag, just something that he'd grabbed out from under Henry's table, and told Boris that he was leaving that night. When Boris had tried to pry the reasoning out of the smaller toon, the only thing that Bendy seemed even remotely ready to talk about was that there was 'something really bad' and that he needed to get as far away from it as possible.

The real kicker had been when Bendy had asked Boris to come with him, saying that they could find Alice and just…go. Anywhere they wanted to as long as it wasn't here. He'd seemed so hopeful, though that had been quickly dashed when the wolf had proved hesitant, unwilling to make the decision between his friend and his creator.

It was a decision that Boris didn't want to say that he regretted, though at this point, seeing how things had turned out…

Snapping himself out of the somewhat depressing line of thought, the wolf looked to Bendy, realizing that the little devil hadn't answered his question, hadn't even said a word since he'd asked. That wasn't exactly like him, the low, remorseful feeling being replaced with a nettling worry.

"Bendy?" Boris asked, suddenly noticing the far-off, distraught look on the smaller toon's face. "Everythin' alright?"

"I, don't…remember…" Bendy said, almost as though he didn't believe what was coming out of his own mouth. His voice grew small, incredulous. "…thirty years, when did I forget…?"

"You don't remember what? You don't remember why you left?" Boris asked, struggling to stay ahead of the oncoming flood that seemed poised to overwhelm the little devil. Upon seeing the returning nod, and noticing with dismay how Bendy's expression seemed to grow even more disturbed, the wolf knelt down to try to look Bendy in the eye.

"I-I had no idea I'd even-I barely remember leaving-it's important, I should remember-." The smaller toon was more muttering to himself now, trying to figure exactly where the gaps ended and his own memories began. Even more troublingly prevalent was the paranoid thought that coming back to this place, just walking through the door, had tampered with his mind in some way.

"Bendy, it's okay." Boris tried to chime in, hoping to make up for the upset he had unwittingly caused. "When you remember, y'can tell me. Really it's fine-."

"No, it's not. I ran off because of, whatever it was, and I can't even remember what it was!" If the little devil had hair, his fingers would have been clenched in it. Still, no matter how hard he tried, there was an immutable gap in his memory, somewhere between living in the studio and escaping to the streets. And it was an escape, it felt like an escape, he just couldn't quite remember why, why couldn't he remember-?

The thought was cut off when Boris suddenly leaned forward, sweeping the little devil up into a hug. Once the wolf was certain he'd gotten the smaller toon's attention, he started to talk calmly as he could given the circumstances. "Bendy, it's alright if you don't remember right now. Maybe y'might remember later, and even if you don't, it's still fine. 'Cause we're still getting out, right?"

The tension had unwound in micrometers, and when Boris had stopped speaking, Bendy let a smile quietly take root on his face. "Yeah, 'course we are."

Taking a deep, steadying breath, the little devil let the moment sit before standing, flashing a more confident, if not still somewhat wane smile to the wolf.

"C'mon, let's see if'n th' coast is clear."

The pair regathered themselves, moving to the door as one. Bendy pressed the side of his head to it to listen outside, a hand turning the knob as quietly as he could. Peering out, the smaller toon could see no one, not even one bit of a wet inky trail on the floor heralding one of the monsters. Still, he left nothing to chance, looking in all directions and even up towards the ceiling, which was when he noticed that Boris had moved back towards the boxes, rooting around in one and grabbing the bacon soup. The wolf caught Bendy looking just as he silently shoved both cans into his pockets, shrugging in an apologetic way as he rejoined the devil back at the door, plank in hand. Bendy, for his part, just gave a somewhat sardonic, good-humored eyeroll before looking one last time, and gesturing for Boris to follow as he stepped out.

Their good mood certainly did not last. Every creak, whether it be the building settling or them stepping on a loose board, had the pair stiffening in anticipation of some follow-up, like something flying out of the ink puddles at them. After a few steps Bendy grabbed at Boris's hand, just in case they needed to make a run for it again. It could also be a thing of his imagination, but the little devil started to feel like there was a humming in the floor. At first, he passed it off as pipes under the floorboards, much like the occasional one he's seen running ink to different parts of the building.

It felt much less coincidental when the smaller toon noticed a similar sort of throb starting up towards the front of his head. Bendy blinked against the feeling, resisting the urge to reach up and massage his fingers over his forehead to dispel it. The little devil snapped out of it somewhat when he felt Boris's fingers start to fidget against his hand. Turning his head, Bendy noticed a frown on the wolf's muzzle, his other arm twitching as though he'd like to move it in a way the board in his hand won't let him.

"Boris?" Bendy whispered, fighting against both the odd feeling and the somewhat pervading sensation that they weren't alone in the hall. "You doin' alright?"

"'M fine. Just…itchy, I guess?" There was something in the wolf's tone that told Bendy he might not like the answer, but he asked anyway.

"Itchy how?"

"Just, itchy. Ah-Along here." The stammered clarification had Boris make a somewhat hampered gesture to the center of his chest, and Bendy tried to stop the somewhat sinking feeling settling in his own guts.

It was something that would be afforded more thought, except there was a horrifyingly familiar noise starting up in the passageway behind them. A very familiar, gurgling noise.

Both toons turned in unison, just in time to catch one of the ink puddles a few offices back spew forth an inky, squirming figure, the shape pulling itself forward on its arms. And it was far from the only one. All of the puddles, even the ones they just passed, were disgorging some kind of goopy monstrosity. A quick glance up the hall showed pretty much the same. Bendy tried to do a quick count, coming up with about ten of the inky things.

He and Boris began to shift stances, with Bendy looking up the hallway and Boris looking down. The smaller toon took a shaky breath, before trying to get the attention of the wolf at his back.

"Boris, we're still goin' forward." The inky monsters hadn't quite eased into their 'attack' modes yet, still drifting and forming up into a crowd around the two toons. Bendy gritted his teeth against the pounding in his head, trying to will away the sensation so he could focus. "Just make sure they don't sneak up on me, alright?"

"Alright." Boris whispered, pressing back against Bendy's coat for a moment before leaning forward, like a line-backer getting ready for an oncoming tackle. The tense, almost silent air hung in the hall for a few minutes, before it snapped with an audible reverb. Bendy had a few precious seconds to swing before the ink creature crashed into him, the blade cutting through what seemed like a neck. It dissipated in a few moments. Though it was quickly replaced with another, while a couple more attempted to rush the little devil from the sides. Bendy wound up for a swing, only somewhat listening to the moans from the creatures, and the squelching crash of Boris's plank finding it's mark. He managed to get two with one stroke and clubbed the last one on the backswing. It didn't fall apart as quickly as its brethren though, instead dropping back with its maw opening and closing like a fish.

It wasn't something Bendy would have dwelled on very much, until he heard the thin, reedy gurgle of a voice emanating from the thing.

" _ **My lord…**_ "

Bendy almost stopped, almost, if some instinct didn't have him clubbing another with the axe when it hurtled close. Still, that other one didn't come near, not anymore. It just kept talking, right in time with the throbbing reverberating in between the little devil's eyes.

" _ **My…lord…free….please…lord…free…please…**_ "

Were they like Sammy? Or worse than that? Wasted and consumed by the ink to the point where everything recognizable had fallen away? Though Bendy tried to shove away the thoughts, told himself that they were no good when he and Boris were about to die a horrible ink-covered death, they kept coming, right on the heels of the twitchy, screeching panic that had been threatening to take over ever since he'd picked up that damn letter. Bendy felt his breathing grow faster and faster, the pounding squeeze in his head growing quicker and more overpowering to match. There was another hum, like someone was saying something, maybe it's Boris, but he couldn't answer. He just needed to keep using the axe. It would stop if he got rid of them. It would all go away. Then he and Boris could get out of here and go live a happy life somewhere else far, far away from here...

Suddenly there was ink plastered to one side of him, and his axe was grabbed by three pairs of hands including his own. Another trio had swept in when his swings grew wild, one wrapping itself around his left leg and side while the other two went for his arms. Now all of them were talking, speaking in those maddening gurgles as the one wrapped around his leg slapped an open hand to the side of his face. The cacophony crashed against the little devil's pounding skull, and he tried to yank the axe out of their grip while pulling his leg free. The only thing this managed to do was pull him off balance, sending Bendy stumbling for a few crucial seconds. He crashed into what might have been Boris's leg, though given that the wolf didn't fall Bendy used the perch to brace himself back up on his feet. The devil gave a clumsy swing that succeeded in dislodging both monsters, one crashing backwards into an inky puddle. The other swayed for a moment before also dispersing, giving the little devil free reign to kick at the one still attached to his leg. His foot did leave quite the impression, the gurgling words fading into nothing as that one too fell apart. The pounding in his head had let up slightly, just enough to notice that the plank he'd given Boris has done its job. Though the wolf himself hardly looked proud of that fact. Bendy tried not to read too much into folded-back ears or the stiffened spine, or feel too guilty over his role in that image.

"Boris, c'mon, we can-." His stumbling words stopped dead when he saw what was coming up the hallway, the much heavier, squishier steps somehow calling for quiet. Both Bendy and Boris froze at the sight of the larger monochrome monster, which hung a yard or two away from the scuffle.

The moment only lasted for a few seconds as the thing suddenly bounded forward, coming down on the last few smaller monsters in front of Boris and sending a splattering of ink over the wolf's feet and pant-legs. By then Bendy'd already grabbed his friend's hand, and the taller toon offered little resistance to being dragged down the hallway. Bendy didn't bother to look back, though Boris's eyes caught the tall ink monster reaching after them with a gurgling cry, almost seeming…sad, desperate? Something that definitely didn't belong on a monster.

Not that there was much time to consider the odd conflict, as Bendy had not stopped and despite the error in the script Boris wasn't about to go back. The pair ran all the way to the other end of the hall, and almost into a door. Wide-eyed and more than a little wild, Bendy fumbled with the knob before getting it open and practically flying through, scarf flapping behind him.

Boris followed easily, long legs eating up the stairs as he tried to ignore the renewed bout of itching settling somewhere in his chest. Bendy seemed to be running into a different kind of trouble. The little devil had started to falter on the next landing, near what looked like a closet door, wincing with a hand coming up to shakily press against his head.

"Bendy?" Boris called, coming up next to the smaller toon and resting a hand on the coat shoulder, letting the plank slide to the floor. He tried to get a look at the devil's face, only seeing dripping ink and a pain-contorted expression. "What's wrong?"

It took Bendy entirely too long to answer, a shaky breath coming before he finally worked himself up to speak.

"Jus', hurt for'a minute…b'fine, we still gotta go…"

Boris might have argued, but (un)thankfully, a gurgling squelch on the next staircase did the immediate decision-making for them. Boris only spared a moment to clarify that another ink monster had spawned on the stairs ahead, before steering himself and a still unsteady Bendy over to the door on their right. It opened, and the wolf internally thanked his lucky stars as he hurried both himself and the little devil inside. The luck was short lived, as when he closed the door and turned to the hall Boris saw that a bunch of boards had been arranged over the passage, blocking them from going any further.

It might have been a bit more concerning if they didn't have an axe with them. Boris quietly knelt next to Bendy and reached for it, his voice staying low.

"Sorry, buddy, just need this for a minute."

Bendy didn't reply, only nodded and let Boris take the axe, resting his head on his knees.

"It'll be alright. I gotcha," he said, though if it was for the little devil's sake or his own, Boris wasn't really sure. He made quick work of the boards, just in time to hear something crash against the door at his back, the wood reverberating from the impact.

It sounded so much bigger than the smaller ink monster that had been out there, and somehow the only thing that came to mind was the larger creature he and Bendy had seen downstairs.

"B-Bendy, c'mon buddy, we gotta move." Boris rushed out, turning back to the devil, only to feel his heart sink when he noticed that Bendy was a lot slacker than he had been a few minutes ago.

"Bendy?" Boris called a little louder, kneeling and shaking the smaller toon's shoulder. He did get a small groan for his trouble, Bendy's eyes opening but groggy and uncomprehending. Another loud thud at the door spurred the lanky toon to action, picking up Bendy in one arm and propping him against his chest. The smaller toon secured, Boris grabbed the axe in his other hand before racing down the newly cleared hall.

The first door he came to was ajar, Boris tearing inside and leaning against it to ease it closed. The momentary relief was shattered when Bendy suddenly let out a garbled, painfilled groan into the wolf's shoulder.

"Bendy?" Boris asked, setting down the axe. Sitting and easing Bendy into his lap, the wolf took note of the still contorted expression and the fact that Bendy's eyes had slipped closed. Absently scratching at his chest, Boris checked over the smaller toon's head; had he gotten hurt in the fight?

But, nothing. Apart from some dripping ink which was steadily clearing up, there was no sign of anything that could explain what was happening. After a moment of thought, another idea occurred to the wolf. Winding his arm to rest a hand on the little devil's forehead, Boris put his other hand to his own head, something he'd seen Henry do a few times whenever one of them said they weren't feeling well. Granted most times, especially in Bendy's case, it had been a way to avoid work, but if the animator had done it there had to be some kind of logic to it, right?

Still, nothing really popped out to Boris as 'wrong'. Bendy's forehead felt cool, and maybe a little sticky, but that was somewhat expected. He didn't know what to do, and the smaller toon had passed out leaving him with no one to ask. The only thing Boris could really think of was rub off what looked like a weird splotch of ink on the little devil's face, the more dried parts flaking off easily. It left a darker smear on the white, and Bendy hadn't even moved.

His head jerked up to look around the small room, though nothing seemed poised to help. If anything, Boris would say that he might have been better off continuing down the hall. There was a writing desk shoved off into the left corner, a few boxes on the right, and some dark shape etched out on the backwall. But what really drew the wolf's eyes was the table in the center, and the tool-box seemingly placed on the edge as an afterthought. Sticking out, easily seen from his spot on the floor, was what looked like the blade of a saw with blackish stains on the metal and the handles of a set of pliers in similar condition. The sight made Boris pause, because the last time he'd seen things like those had been-.

 _"-don't worry, I'm sure we'll be seeing him soon."_

 _"A-Alright, Joey."_

 _"Chin up now Boris, I'm sure Bendy will come back. Besides, we have plenty to do in the meantime."_

No, no, he didn't want to remember now…

 _"Are we doing more, sketches? V-Voice overs?"_

 _"No, nothing like that."_

Just leave, don't ask, just go, get out…wait, he couldn't, it's over it's done, just stop thinking…

 _"We'll be moving on to something more, important, than that."_

His breathing was getting too fast, his chest itched, and something in him wanted to scream, pushing back at the memory. Without realizing it Boris had pulled Bendy's prone form up to his front in an almost desperate hug, acting as both a shield and something else to focus on. Don't think, you stopped thinking before, don't start now…

 _"Like what, i-if you don't mind me asking?"_

 _"A very crucial project of mine. Actually, Boris…"_

 _ **No, no no no nonono stop stop please**_.

 _"…how would you like to help me? Why, I'd be getting twice the work done with you at my side."_

 _ **No no no Joey stop please hurts stop please**_. Boris realized that he was crying, taking in deep, gasping breaths of air. He tried to stop, he was crying on Bendy, he shouldn't be doing that, his buddy's had enough trouble, it's over it's done, just let it lie, it can't hurt you now **but it does, it does SO MUCH** -.

 _"…Alright, Joey, where do you need me?"_


	5. Ch4: Devil Woman

A/N: Hi, all. Kind of belated, but I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is gearing up for a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, stellar Solstice, etc., basically, whatever it is you're celebrating, joyous time and tidings to you. As before, I of course do not own the game Bendy and the Ink Machine, nor the characters, those are the property of TheMeatly and Mike Mood. I also was not the one to come up with the Henry and the Ink Machine AU idea, that honor goes to thelastmoongazer on Tumblr, definitely go give that art a look, it's been a wonderful inspiration to me!

Now, as for this chapter, I will say that I started plugging away typing this up pretty much right after watching some play-throughs of the game, though after I got to a certain point I had to look at how best to divvy things up a little to make it easier to read. Don't worry, the second part's coming along great, I'd just be here until next year trying to get things together if I kept it all as one big word dump. Trust me though the next one's probably gonna be about as long as this one is.

Well, enough about the details, enjoy the chapter, feel free to leave critiques or comments, and stick around for the ending note, I have something of an idea I'd like some feedback on!

* * *

Devil Woman:

His arm was starting to hurt by the time he got to the closet, a hand pulling open the wooden door just in time for Bendy to be jarred forward by a firm push at his back. He was…gasping, emotionally raw, but at the same time more upset than afraid, though it took him a moment to remember why.

"Bendy, I am very ashamed of your behavior. I have told you before that we cannot have these outbursts."

"Joey-!" He tried through a tight throat, but his creator smoothly talked over him.

"And until you calm down, you will be staying in here. If you continue to raise your voice at me, it will be for longer."

And the door slammed shut in the toon devil's face, the sound of the lock clicking cut the last thread to the outside world as the small broom-closet was drenched in black. For a minute, Bendy simply stood in the darkness, before backing to the wall just to give him something to orientate himself with. He wasn't scared, not by a long shot. He'd just…have to keep quiet for a while. Then Joey would come and unlock the door.

At least, that was how things had gone the last few times. For some reason he couldn't shake the niggling feeling that things were going to be different this time around. Even still, the small toon settled with his back to the not-so far wall, leaning partially on some brooms and tried to keep quiet against the emotions that stewed in his gut.

" _Don't tell me you ain't thinkin' it! Drew's gone too far with all this, an' who the hell knows how he made that thing, or why!"_

 _"Look, Josh-."_

 _"All's I'm saying is, Drew and his lil' monster can stay the hell away from me-!"_

"'M not a monster…" Bendy mouthed into his knees, grinding his knuckles against the sides of his head as though that would drive the unwelcome recollections away. Even so, he remembered with perfect clarity exactly what he had told the man, the one who spoke those things in almost the toon devil's own voice.

 _"SHUT UP! I don' wanna be near you anyways! I don' wanna be near any a' you!"_

 _"See, Harry, with pipes like that, why the hell does Drew need me? Heck, if he keeps goin' the way he's goin', he ain't gonna need you or Susie neither!"_

 _"STOP TALKIN' ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!"_

 _"Maybe ya shouldn't be, ever consider that?"_

It'd grown hard to remember what happened, though Bendy could recall a distinct buzzing in his nonexistent ears. But in the next moment a handful of pens had found themselves across the room, and everyone was shouting, Bendy's own words getting mixed in somewhere with the rest but he knew what he'd yelled.

 _"I DIDN' ASK JOEY T'MAKE ME, I DIDN' ASK ANYONE T'MAKE ME, YOU SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"_

Which was when a hand had descended down onto his shoulder with enough force to rattle the toon's frame from its emotional and physical meltdown, and Bendy looked up and back into the face of Joey Drew, who had hobbled into the room at some point during the shouting match. His creator had always had that air to him that demanded some level of respect and quiet, though with those very stern, cold eyes silently boring into his own, Bendy could only say that the sight of the man had lit a real spark of dread somewhere in his inky guts.

"I apologize for my creation's erstwhile behavior." Joey had said to the workers, including Bendy's still-fuming tormentor. "I will be dealing with it presently, and it will not happen again."

The firm emphasis on the last phrase was what had the devil struck mute until they'd gotten to the closet. Reverberations of it kept him in silence for the time being.

But, Joey would come back and let him out, right? He had to. Joey wouldn't forget him, at least Bendy knew he hadn't before.

…He didn't always listen to him, but at the very least Bendy could concede that his creator certainly would remember that the toon devil existed and would let him out. Probably. Hopefully.

He'd just have to stay away from those people and this wouldn't happen again. He wouldn't be shut in the closet if he just avoided the things that made him upset. If he didn't get upset, then Joey wouldn't have any reason to shut him in here. Simple, but foolproof logic in the devil's mind.

For the moment though, he'd just have to wait. And keep quiet. He could do that, he'd already been doing a pretty good job of it so far.

Even still as Bendy tried not to let a subtle, nagging sense at the back of his mind have too much leeway in its insistence that something was wrong, he could feel the time passing outside. Or at least, it seemed like it was. Couldn't exactly tell much from inside a pitch-dark closet. Not that his own body was much help; Bendy found himself starting out of a light doze more often than he'd like, the brief bouts of sleep skewing his perception of time along with the growing sensation of emptiness in his stomach. Had it been thirty minutes, an hour, three hours? Hadn't he been quiet enough?

He started again at the sound of voices outside the door, though he knew just from listening that they weren't the calm, measured tones of the studio head. Instead it sounded like-.

"-Be down there in a bit Sammy! Geez, gimme five minutes t'get set up first!"

Then the door was thrown open and suddenly light flooded into the tiny closet, causing Bendy to let out a yelp and cover his face against the stinging assault on his eyes. At the same time, a much louder holler from overhead caused the small devil to try to ball up even more. Though if he were worried about Wally lashing out at the unexpected intruder in his supply closet Bendy found out pretty quickly that he needn't have. The janitor had leapt back from the devil, almost crashing to the floor before he realized that while the thing in the closet was alive it wasn't about to jump out to get him.

"Uh, hey, kid…" The lanky young man tried, pushing back the cap on his head from where it had slipped over his eyes. "…y'lock yourself in there or somethin'?"

The devil opened his mouth before remembering what Joey had said, and closed his jaw with a click of his teeth and shaking his head. Wally cocked his head at the silence and response alike, eyes alit with wary intrigue.

"Y'wan' me to go get Mr. Drew?"

Somehow Bendy's response to that could only boil down to a firm shake of the head, eyes widening slightly as he both realized what he'd done and started to puzzle through why.

He was still in trouble, meaning if he went to Joey now and tried to talk to him he'd be admitting that he had disobeyed the studio head, and given that his stunt last night had made Joey lock him in the closet for what was starting to seem like the whole night Bendy could say that he certainly didn't want to try getting Joey mad now. He also couldn't quite believe his own daring, what if Wally went off and told Joey that Bendy hadn't wanted to come to him? Would he be in worse trouble either way?

However the reply seemed to have left Wally at a loss for what to do, and for an instant the janitor's eyes roved up and down the hallway for some inspiration when suddenly he caught sight of someone at the far end of the hall.

"Hey, HEY! Henry, can y'come here for a momen'?"

Henry? Henry was here? The name caused a small thrill of relief to run through Bendy's ink. Henry was good, safe, he was the guy that Bendy went to if he had problems.

However…

 _"We want Henry to be happy, right? So I need you to be on your best behavior, Bendy, can you do that? If not for your old creator, then can you at least do it for Henry?"_

If he stayed away, he wouldn't get upset, and then he wouldn't get in trouble and Joey wouldn't have to be mad. And then, no one would be disappointed or upset, or ashamed…

Just, stay away.

Henry's face peered around the doorframe, eyebrows furrowing slightly in what seemed like confusion as he caught sight of the little devil still huddled up in the closet.

"Bendy?" He asked, quietly taking a knee to be more level with the small toon. Despite the calm, quietly concerned gaze of the animator, Bendy still couldn't relax and certainly didn't want to even open his mouth.

"Are you hurt?" Henry tried, eyes sweeping over the small frame. Bendy paused before he reasoned that he would probably be better off answering at least some of these questions, at least until Henry was satisfied and left. And, well, no, he wasn't hurt…

However, if Bendy were hoping that a shake of his head would dismiss the man, he was sorely disappointed. If anything, the lack of speech seemed to make the animator more troubled.

"Did you lock yourself in here?" Henry tried next, to which Bendy shook his head. A minute look of suspicion and irritation flashed over the man's face, causing the small toon to ball up even more as his mind raced. What had he done, why was Henry mad at him, was he in even bigger trouble now, please don't tell Joey…!

"Bendy, what's wrong?" Henry asked, catching the mute look of panic settling into the devil's features. The simple question sparked a new wave of fear to percolate the toon's rapidly devolving ink, and he started shaking his head with a new edge of frantic energy. No, no, nothing's wrong, everything's fine, please don't tell Joey…

"Bendy." Henry said, a hand reaching out to land firmly on a small, inky shoulder, jarring Bendy from his frenzy and riveting his eyes to the animator's light blue ones. "It's alright, Bendy, you're alright, I'm not angry."

The man simply let the words sit for a moment, hand quietly resting on the toon's shoulder, before taking a deep breath and trying a new tact.

"Look, you're probably hungry, right? How about we go get something to eat?"

Food, did sound pretty good right now, but, he couldn't leave, he…he had to be still in trouble, that was why Joey never came back. Right?

That, or perhaps the devil was in so much trouble that his creator had…had no intention of coming back.

"Bendy, it's alright, you're-." Henry started to say before a loud holler of 'FRANKS' echoed up the corridor. Behind them, Wally jumped, hands leaping up only to freeze in midair as he realized there were still two people in between him and his cleaning supplies.

"C'mon, let's move…" Henry murmured, quietly reaching out and easily lifting the small toon up in his arms before Bendy could react. Without really thinking, the man tucked the devil up against his chest, straightening and stepping aside to let Wally grab his things and hurry after whatever disaster Sammy had happened upon. The janitor did neglect to shut the closet door behind him before he rushed off, though with the way the music director was hollering, Henry couldn't say he blamed him. It was then that the man realized that Bendy had been quiet since Henry had rather unceremoniously removed him from his hiding place.

"Bendy? Everything alright?" He asked, looking down at the small toon who'd silently slumped against the animator, resting his head on Henry's shoulder. Bendy simply looked up at the man for a moment before letting his eyeline fall and giving a small nod. Inky arms had quietly crossed in front of the small frame, the devil's posture closed though he leaned into the welcome relief the animator offered. Letting his eyes slip shut, Bendy feigned sleep even though it felt like his nerves had just been wrung out to dry. He could hear Henry give a quiet sigh from over his head, the noise almost lost in the general hubbub of the studio.

"Bendy…" The animator said from somewhere over his head, an odd timbre to the tone causing the devil to frown. It sounded…watery, with a faint gurgle like Henry was speaking through a clogged throat. The little toon also noticed that the man's arms had started to take on a different, goopier texture, the very feel of it unnerving him enough to turn his head away from Henry's shirt, pie-cut eyes opening as he focused on the face overhead.

And immediately felt the air leave his lungs in a wheeze. The pale features of the animator had been entirely overtaken with ink which seemed to seep from his eyes, mouth, and nose.

"Bendy, wake up…" Henry almost groaned through the stuff, the black goop completely enveloping his face, and starting to drip down onto the toon in his arms. Bendy felt like he couldn't move, couldn't even scream as ink started to pour down over his head-.

And with a gasp the devil almost inhaled a mouthful of fur, coughing for a moment as he tried to get his bearings and figure out why he could hear someone crying, though calling it that did it no justice. The noises were a mix between sobs and breathless wheezes, though he got the impression that if the person doing the crying were able to get more air into their lungs there would be more wailing than wheezing. The second thing was that he was being held, but whoever was doing the holding was shaking so fiercely that he was almost bouncing in the person's lap.

The clues didn't make sense, there was no situation that he could think of that would have someone holding him in this way, but a moment later, memories crashed back in.

"B…Boris?" Bendy asked at first, mouth feeling thick and uncooperative. His limbs jerked as they tried to reorientate themselves, reaching out for the distraught wolf. And Boris…still hadn't answered, but he was moving and breathing, so it couldn't be that bad, right?

"Boris, wh-what's wrong? A-Are you-?" As Bendy spoke, his hand finally managed to connect with some part of the taller toon, fingers brushing across Boris's chest just enough to feel a raised line under the wolf's fur. The very instant the sensation registered, the devil abruptly found himself tumbling out of his friend's lap, only realizing once he hit the floor flat on his back that Boris had shoved him.

The impact of the toon hitting the floor rattled the legs of a table behind him, and there was a sudden crash of metal hitting wood that had both jumping out of their skin. Bendy looked to the side and his eyes narrowed at the sight of tools scattered all over the floor. They were all a grimy mess, streaked with black ink and quite possibly rust, though when Bendy looked to Boris, the observation suddenly took on a completely different tone. The wolf's eyeline had jerked up when the toolbox had fallen, his wet eyes riveted to the dirty pieces of metal but looking distant, haunted, everything that Boris was not supposed to be as his breath spilled from his muzzle in gasping sobs.

But the clincher was in how the taller toon's hands were clasped in his own fur, right over that spot that Bendy could remember having streaks of white rather than the normal solid black. It was almost like the wolf were trying to hold himself together in more than just the emotional sense…

Bendy pulled himself to his feet, sick horror and protective anger urging him to kick away all of the tools, get them as far away from Boris as he could. There was still a grogginess soaking through his brain, which was probably why he didn't think to simply put the things back in the toolbox until the last bit, a heavily stained saw, had shot out of sight to the other side of the table. Not that his concern was really with cleanliness, given that the moment the tarnished metal was gone the devil turned and stumbled the few steps it took to get to Boris. The wolf's breathing had grown, not quite manageable, but had eased down from the frantic gasping it had been about a minute ago.

"B-Boris, Boris, it's okay. It's me, pal, it's Bendy." The little toon babbled, not daring to try touching the wolf directly again. The broad, inky shoulders flinched, before pie-cut eyes seemed to lock onto the devil. Bendy let out a yelp as Boris abruptly reached out and wrapped the other toon's smaller frame in a hug, pulling him close and practically crushing the devil against his chest. The wolf buried his face into the shoulder of the Bendy's coat, shoulder's shaking for a moment before a new round of sobbing finally forced its way out into the open air. Bendy only found himself idle for a few moments, before he started trying to extricate his arms enough to reach around the wolf's frame in what he hoped was a good approximation of a hug.

The crying didn't have the same gasping quality that the mess from before had, but it was no less messy and now sounded like the wolf had just seen a cavalcade of instruments set on fire (or perhaps remembered the feeling of tools biting into his skin), and broke Bendy's heart to hear. At first, he simply locked his arms around the wolf's chest in a squeeze before the memory of the straps around the taller toon's form caused him to loosen, hanging for a moment before Bendy changed his tact and tried to rub circles into the fur under his hands.

It took a few minutes for the wolf to fully calm, though eventually the ragged gulps of air eased to a more natural, if still rough series of breaths that had Boris's chest rising and falling at an easy, normal pace, the heartbeat against Bendy's ear going at a steady rate. Bendy still kept his arms locked around the wolf's chest, hands doing the best they could to rub circles into Boris's back despite the shortness of his arms. Henry used to do it, it had to work here, right?

It gave him no end of relief to feel the lankier toon's arms relax, Boris's head lifting back up while one arm let go to rub at a puffy eye.

"You okay?" Bendy questioned, pulling back and searching the wolf's face for any lingering signs of distress. Despite the obvious tear tracks, and the fact that Boris definitely did not look one-hundred percent the taller toon still was able to give the devil a wane smile.

"'m okay."

Bendy knew it probably wouldn't be a good idea to venture back out into the monster-infested studio, though spending more time in it than they had to seemed like an even worse idea.

"Should probably get goin'." The smaller toon murmured and pulled himself up from Boris's lap, though he swayed a little on his feet, exhaustion still seeping into his ink with the faint feeling of dizziness making the room wobble around him. In fact, the entirety of Bendy's body felt sore, concentrated mostly at his side and legs. The sensations caused him to stumble, hands grabbing at the wall for stability.

"Bendy, you okay?" Boris asked, voice still a little raspy though the concern was still very much apparent. Bendy nodded, trying to slap on a reassuring smile as he turned to the wolf.

"Y-Yeah, 'm fine."

"Your head still hurtin'?" Boris asked, the question entirely throwing the devil off his attempt to hide the problem.

"Wait, when did I…?"

"B'fore you, you passed out, you said your head hurt." The wolf explained, gesturing to his own head as he quietly scanned the devil's face, looking for some sign of sickness or injury. Not that Bendy could remember anything that might have led to this, except…well, no water, no ink, and no proper food for who-knows-how long. Still, he'd been fine for quite a while before then…

"Hey, Bendy." Boris abruptly chimed, the devil swaying a little as he turned to look to the wolf who had his hands held out to him. Even with thirty years gone by, it was a gesture that Bendy recognized quite well, though with the long years and the changes they'd wrought, the devil had an honest moment of crisis as he considered. On one front, though being mistaken as a child had been helpful to him in most situations out on the streets, the ending fact remained that he really didn't feel like much of one anymore. He had come to hate being talked down to, the overly smothering concern, and being steered around like he didn't have any agency in the situation at hand. At the same time, this wasn't just some shmuck who thought he was doing a good deed or some nutcase looking to carry off a kid, this was Boris. His buddy, who didn't have the long years of hardship that the devil had, who was waiting for his say-so, and had done nothing but help him since they'd found each other.

Not to mention if he refused, Boris might think it was because of what happened earlier, and Bendy certainly didn't want the wolf blaming himself over that. So, the devil just gave a breathy sigh of 'okay' before plodding his way over to the wolf, and letting himself be picked up.

"Don' forget th' axe." Bendy slurred as Boris hefted him up, the wolf fumbling for a moment between his fellow toon and trying to get a serviceable hold on their improvised defense. It took a little bit of juggling before Boris ended up with a balance that fit, and he started over to the door before realizing he still needed a hand free to turn the knob.

Propped up against Boris's shoulder, Bendy blinked for a moment at the hesitation before looking over at the door, and reaching around to turn the knob himself.

"Y'didn't haveta do that." Boris whispered as he went through the now-open door. "I coulda gotten it."

"'S fine, 'm bein' a freeloader here anyway, might as well make m'self useful."

"You're plenty useful." The wolf replied, to which Bendy's only answer was an exhausted hum as he huddled against Boris's shoulder. The conversation ran dry as the pair moved further down the hall. Though Boris did glance back down the direction they'd come from, he couldn't see any sign of pursuit from that end. Maybe nothing had gotten through the door…

Though the hallway didn't seem to be taking them out, the slight slant to the flooring hinting at their heading towards a lower level rather than the way up to the next floor that they'd been hoping for. Eventually though, the pair happened upon a doorway at the end of the hall, the wood musty and a layer of dust on the knob. Bendy reached around, gloved fingers slipping a little on the grime before his grip tightened enough that he could open the door. It swung open with no trouble, though the space beyond was dark and reeked of ink. Not to mention, the sounds of machinery faintly grinding away somewhere beyond was enough to have the wolf's spine stiffening a little, Bendy's tail coiling close as both sets of pie-cut eyes tried to filter through the murky black.

"Maybe we should go back…" Bendy murmured, though something about the darkness seemed almost familiar to Boris. Like he'd just walked into a part of the studio that he came to everyday, though as far as he knew he'd never been allowed back here.

"I don' think we can." The wolf replied. "There were a lotta, monsters 'n things. An' the big one might not've left."

"Big one, th' one wi' white on its chest?" The devil enquired, Boris nodding in response.

"Yeah, it might still be waitin' there for us to come out."

"Alrighty, forward then." Bendy conceded, hunkering down in preparation for the trip that neither of them really wanted to go on. Both toons tensed as Boris stepped over the threshold, the darkness pressing over their eyes. Then the wolf's foot hit something that clunked when it fell over, the sound making them both nearly jump out of their inky skins.

"What'd you kick?" Bendy whispered as Boris felt around with his foot. The taller toon frowned as he took note of the dimensions; small, barely over his ankle but it felt tougher than wood. Metal maybe?

"Not sure, here, I'm gonna…" The wolf started as he knelt, letting Bendy feel around on the floor for the object. The devil pawed at the metallic surface for a moment before he discovered a switch, light beaming into the dark to reveal an ink spotted wall.

"Guess I'll hold onto this." Bendy murmured into the silence, Boris nodding his ascent as he maneuvered the smaller toon in his arms so Bendy could light the way ahead. With a little more assuredness, the pair moved through the dark, ink-reeking halls, as the noise of dripping and machinery grew louder and louder. Bendy couldn't help but frown at that, one reason being that it wasn't helping with the various aches and grogginess he was feeling, and the other being that the steadily rising background noise made it hard to hear if something was in the hall ahead, or behind them.

However, Boris felt he had a better grip on things the further the pair went. Something about these halls just felt familiar, to the point where he was guessing turns and picking out familiar landmarks. Familiar, but still very alien as Boris did not remember this from the days when the studio was running. So, when had he been down here…?

The stench of rubber ink grew stronger and stronger, Boris fighting the urge to cover his nose and Bendy frowning as he tried to beam the light around. The walls seemed to be slicked with ink in most places, the off-white paper looking blacker the further they went, with ink even starting to drip from the ceiling. The hallway itself did not help, the darkness and blackened walls almost claustrophobic as it constantly turned and wound around, all the while the floor slanted under the wolf's feet as it carried them down. The flashlight nearly didn't do them any good, the beam too weak to really project and the walls of the hall too dark. Not to mention that Bendy's arms had started to tremble with the strain of holding the heavy flashlight, exhaustion beginning to get the better of the little devil. The dull aches and pains he was feeling were growing more and more prevalent too, and though part of him desperately wanted to sleep it off Bendy fought the urge. He had to stay awake, Boris needed someone watching his back.

 _You can't afford to let him down again, you're lucky he hasn't left you_ _ **yourfaultyourfault**_ _…_

However, the next corner the pair rounded opened up on a short hall leading out into what looked like a larger room, another corridor visible directly across. Before Boris could try crossing, a half-remembered warning stopped him just as Bendy spoke up.

"W-Wait, Boris…"

The devil beamed the flashlight around, the floor of the room shining oddly in the light. Boris took a cautious step forward, before noticing that the stench of rubber ink, which his nose had started to become inured to, was back with a vengeance. On a hunch, the wolf poked the head of the axe downward, and watched with growing dismay as it slipped under what was starting to look like a veritable pool of ink. A pool of ink that stretched from one end of the room to the other and seemed a lot deeper than appearances would have them believe given that Boris had sunk the axe in up to the very end of the handle and he still couldn't feel the bottom.

Bendy meanwhile had maneuvered the flashlight so it would be out of the way while Boris felt out the depth of the ink, and happened to catch sight of a cassette deck on the floor next to the wall.

"Hey, Boris." The devil started, pointing towards the object. "Try listening t'that. Might be somethin' useful."

"Listen to what?" The taller toon asked as he leaned back from the pool, eyes catching sight of the cassette deck a moment later. "What's that?"

"People put tapes in 'em, kinda like records, and they use them t' listen to things. L-Like, music." Bendy mumbled the latter through a yawn that forced its way through his explanation, causing Boris to frown worriedly. The devil wouldn't meet the taller toon's eyes, instead indicating the tape deck. "I'll be fine, jus' let it play. Press th' middle button."

Boris put the axe down for a moment to follow through, tensing a little at the crackling voice that filled the air a moment later.

" _It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this godforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Whoever though that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot. But the real worse part about all this, are them noises the system makes. Like a dying dog on its last legs. Make no mistake, this place…this…machine…heck this whole darn thing…it just isn't natural. You can bet, I won't be doing any more repair jobs for Mr. Joey Drew_."

The tape cut with a pop, leaving the two toons in silence.

"…Who was that?" Bendy asked, brow furrowing as he looked to Boris for a hint. The wolf thought for a moment before something seemed to click.

"I think tha' might've been the repairman. I saw him once. I think his last name was C-Connor, maybe?" The smaller toon blinked at the explanation, as a faint memory of Joey squirreling him out of sight when a burly man in overalls had started poking at a burst pipe in one of the halls popped into his mind. He'd had to stay in the studio head's office for the whole day during that visit, and was only let out once Joey seemed sure that the other man had gone. Bendy hadn't questioned it at the time, given that one of the first things Joey had told him was that other people could be dangerous and they might try to hurt him. In retrospect though it seemed strange, as Joey seemed to feel fine with letting Bendy and later Boris and Alice run around the studio in full view of the rest of the staff.

It was odd, but didn't really help them with what they were faced with now. Both sets of pie-cut eyes looked back out at the room beyond, still very much flooded with ink. Bendy stared out with exhausted, itching eyes and gave a quiet sigh.

"You're sure we can't jus' go back?"

"…There's a place we can rest up ahead." Boris answered after a pause, voice sounding distant and yet very firm in the stated fact. If Bendy felt more awake, perhaps he might have questioned it more, but right now, in between aches, exhaustion, and the feeling of weakness starting to creep into his limbs, the devil just gave the scene a slow, quiet blink and another sigh.

"Alrigh', Boris. I trust you. Lead on."

The murmur was answered with a slight squeeze from the wolf's arms, the brief hug followed with another low vocal rumble.

"Thanks, Bendy. An' hold on, we'll be okay."

And with that, Boris quietly took a few, hesitant steps forward, wincing a little at the feeling of the boards sagging under his feet. The room through the doorway wasn't that big, but the flood was definitely more than a little intimidating, from the reek to the somewhat uncomfortable implications that the wolf could think of when it came to them, toons made out of ink, walking through a room drowned in the stuff. Still, the doorway ahead hung like a tantalizing bit of hope in the inky floods, with the promise of safety somewhere beyond.

The wolf carefully stepped into the mire, leg sinking up to mid-thigh height. He couldn't help pausing a little at that, something telling him that the pool should be much deeper. Shifting his grip on Bendy and the axe, Boris tried to plod ahead as carefully as possible while his legs felt like they were moving through syrup.

Bendy for his part mostly just allowed the shifting, caught somewhere between wanting his eyes closed, because the smell and sound of all the ink around them was downright disturbing, and wanting to see what was going on in case something leapt from the muck.

They had gotten about two-thirds of the way across the room when Boris took a step, and immediately sank up to his chest with a yelp. Automatically the wolf lifted Bendy higher, over his head with a hand clenched around both the neck of the devil's jacket and another around his ankles. Boris could hear a startled gasp from the smaller toon, though it was somewhat overlooked as he struggled with the completely discomfiting sensation of ink soaking his overalls and fur.

"Boris?!"

"I'm fine!" The wolf almost warbled out, getting enough of his wits back to take a sliding, gloopy step forward, trying to figure out where the end was to the hole he'd fallen into. But there was nothing, no edge, no sign of stable, higher ground. Praying that there wasn't going to be another drop and trying to judge if he could safely throw Bendy to the doorway should there be one, Boris tried to shuffle forward as carefully and quickly as he could. Thankfully Bendy didn't try to move, small frame stiff with fright as he tried to give the wolf as little trouble as possible in getting across. The few feet seemed to take years, but eventually the pair pulled themselves out of the mire to be back on the mostly stable wooden floor. Boris put Bendy down as he knelt and tried to get his breath back, the devil immediately doing his best to help clear some of the gloopier ink stuck to Boris's overall straps and fur.

"Boris, you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, 'm fine, I…" The wolf gasped out before something occurred to him, hitting home hard enough to earn a pause as Boris briefly stared ahead with an expression of disappointment and pure exhaustion as his head lowered to clunk against the floor.

"What? What's th' matter?!" Bendy asked, a note of tense bemusement in his voice as he tried to figure out what was wrong.  
"…I dropped the axe." The wolf finally mumbled into the wood, the statement putting the smaller toon's moment of panic on hold as he tried to figure out exactly what had been said.

"S-Sorr…wait, what?"

"The axe. I dropped it. In there." Boris groaned out, a somewhat ink-drenched glove pointing back at the flooded room as he sat up, about to run a hand over his face before thinking better of it. Bendy looked from the dark ink to the wolf, before a small, nearly hysterical giggle bubbled out.

"You big i-idiot, I thought y'got hurt or somethin'!"

"O-Oh no, no I'm fine, I jus' thought, we need th' axe, right?"

"Not enough t'go back in there, pal." Bendy mumbled back in reply, eyes tiredly turning from the ink pool to the still glopped-up overalls, hands fumbling as they still tried to clear some of the black murk. The devil's head wobbled on its nonexistent neck as pie-cut eyes stared blearily ahead, something that Boris noticed with a deepening frown.

"Then…let's keep goin', Ben. So we can get out of here, right?"

"Yeah." Was all Bendy felt able to get out, eyes blinking groggily. Though Boris tried to be gentle about picking the smaller toon up again, he still heard a light noise of surprise before Bendy hunkered down for the ride.

"Th-Th' flashligh'…"

"Don' worry, Bendy. I've got it." Boris replied, grabbing the after-mentioned object off the floor and slowly trekked down the hall. The next leg of the journey passed in near silence, with only the noise of the machinery and ink filling the void as it came from all around them. Some of the nervousness had left the taller toon's frame as somehow, he knew precisely where to go. One more left, then a right, and through the archway into a lit hall, which dead ended at a metal door. Boris really only fumbled for a few moments, eventually putting down the flashlight before he was able to unlock the door.

It was kind of unintuitive how he went about it, though somehow the wolf knew exactly what to do. He felt like this wasn't as…alright, as it seemed, but the thought was put on hold by the door swinging open, Bendy squirming weakly as Boris briefly bent down to grab the light and go through the doorway.

"You're still awake?" The question slipped from the wolf's muzzle before he really could think on it, though he couldn't say he'd be happy if Bendy were keeping himself up when he obviously needed the rest. Not that it was new, really, the smaller toon often tended to push himself until he dropped, a habit that he had as far back as Boris could remember.

"N't sleepin'…" The devil mumbled back, unwilling to open his eyes though he did shift a little in the wolf's arms.

"Maybe y'oughta be." Boris shot back, his voice quiet but with a familiar sense of long-suffering affection bleeding into the tone. Bendy could feel the corners of his mouth turning up in a smile, and his tail gave a lazy, contented flick. The wolf gave the small frame a brief squeeze of a hug, ears perking up as he had another flash of intuition.

Boris walked into the room, turned left into a small corridor, sidestepped some dripping ink, and passed what looked like a bathroom to get to the last room, pushing open the ajar door to reveal a cozy makeshift bedroom with a hammock strung up over a trunk. A flicker of motion under his eyeline made Boris look down, just in time to catch Bendy blearily peering about.

"Are we 'n someone's h-house?" The devil asked, the last part of the question breaking up in a yawn. Boris almost shook his head in reply before realizing that it would probably be better if he actually said something.

"I don' think so. Least if it was, they're long gone."

It seemed true enough, and didn't need any strange recollections on Boris's part. Everything was covered in a slight layer of dust, though before Boris could shake out the hammock Bendy just gave a quiet chuckle.

"'s okay, y'can leave it. Slept in worse places…"

"If you say so." Boris murmured, the frown from before settling back into his face at the implications of what Bendy was saying. Still, he pried off the devil's shoes before putting him in the hammock, turning to look for a blanket but was beaten to it when Bendy groggily shuffled out of his baggy coat and tucked that over his frame. Boris briefly paused at the sight, eyes drawn to the exhausted, almost unwell look to the small devil's pale face before something occurred to him, and he quickly leaned down to open the trunk.

The majority of the stuff inside seemed like odds and ends, and though interesting it was the last third of the things that fell into the category of what the wolf was looking for. He came up with one can of bacon soup, and what looked like five unopened ink wells.

He hated to disturb the smaller toon, but…

"Bendy?"

"Hmm?" The devil groaned, eyes flickering open at the questioning tone in Boris's voice, and immediately lighting on the small, untouched inkwell in the wolf's gloved hand.

"Wh-Where'd…?"

"In the trunk, there's a lot here. Maybe it migh', help you feel better…" The wolf trailed off, a little worried by both the silence and the dazedly uncomprehending stare from Bendy, though the devil eventually seemed to snap out of the daze and gave Boris a weak but thankful smile.

"Prob'ly will, thanks Boris…"

Bendy didn't quite manage to push himself up into a seated position, a little thrown off by the rocking of the hammock. But once Boris handed the devil the inkwell, Bendy threw it back, draining the whole thing in three gulps. The devil just managed to hand the empty inkwell to Boris before he flopped back, limbs shakily pulling under the shelter the coat provided as his eyelids fluttered closed. As Boris closed the trunk, he could hear the faint sounds of Bendy's snoring start to join the low hum of dripping ink and fainter sounds of machinery and couldn't help a relieved smile.

Though, now that that was taken care of, Boris was becoming uncomfortably aware of how the drying ink was sticking to his clothes and fur. He stayed in the bedroom a moment longer, making sure that Bendy was alright and well and truly asleep before he quietly left, leaving the door open in case the devil were to wake up. Heading down to the bathroom, Boris felt that sense of deja-vu start to slip in again as he walked over to the sinks, staring for a moment at the cracked, misted glass of the mirror in front of him. Turning on the faucet, he waited as the water went from a murky grey to a clearer, cleaner look. Peeling off his gloves, he automatically reached under the sink for the soap, and stopped with a worried pause when he realized what he was doing.

Maybe he was overthinking it. He wanted to get himself clean, after all. Still, Boris felt himself battling down a sense of unnerved anxiety as he blocked the drain of the faucet, letting it fill with water before putting the soap and his gloves in, fingers kneading the suds into the fabric. Those were done in a few minutes, and Boris left them hanging over one of the other faucets so they could dry. The overalls were a downright nightmare, the partially dried ink on the inside pulling at his fur as he took them off and emptied his pockets of two smeared-with-ink soup cans. Placing his shoes to the side as an afterthought, Boris went to work with the soap, scrubbing and slaving at the clothing as he steadily managed to make the ink-murked fabric clear back to an off-white. The boxers he was wearing under that were much easier by comparison, though once that was done came the somewhat awkward task of trying to clear the ink out of his own fur.

However, there was a somewhat pleasant and odd discovery as Boris found that there was a considerably less amount of ink caked in than he thought there would be. A small amount of black came off his tail, legs, and feet, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had felt. Checking over the rest, Boris tried to feel for any gunk stuck to his back, his hands ghosting over his front with a shiver as they passed over a vertical line under his fur.

Swallowing, the wolf quickly moved on to wringing the water out of his boxers and gloves, though he knew that it would take a while for the overalls to dry. Somehow he knew there was a spot he could use out in the hall, and distracted himself from thinking too much on how he knew that by doing his best to clean some of the gunk off his shoes before he hung the overalls in the after-mentioned spot at the end of the hall. Once he'd gotten that done though, Boris stared around for a moment, posture drawing in on itself before he turned and sidestepped a drip of ink to head back to the bedroom.

Bendy hadn't moved a whit since the wolf had left, face still blissfully relaxed in slumber. With a small, relieved smile Boris sat on the trunk next to the hammock, simply opting to relax while he a few free minutes. Though that didn't last long as even though he knew they were safe in here, there was a part of him that couldn't help but be anxious about… well, everything. Somehow he knew that the stove required more than a little attention to be properly started, that the second toilet in the bathroom was always out of order, and that there was a stockpile of bacon soup hidden about the place. He knew the noises of the pipes overhead, the rumble of the machinery as it ground and clanked away, he knew so many things about this place, but somehow all of those recollections felt hazier than they ought to be.

It was downright maddening, and more than a little strange because they also reminded him of-.

No, no don't even start thinking about that. Not now.

Despite managing to cut off the thoughts before they could turn dark, Boris still pulled his legs up, arms wrapping around his knees as though to ward off a chill.

A faint noise from somewhere over his head made the wolf flinch as he looked up, eyes widening a little as he noticed that the expression on Bendy's face had changed, the devil's brows furrowing as his face pinched with what looked like unsettled dread. Boris stood up, immediately reaching out though his hands hung in the air next to the hammock, unsure of what to do. However, another bit of foggy reflection occurred to the taller toon, something that he knew the hammock was good for when feeling unnerved or afraid.

He gently gave the side of the hammock a little push, the slight motion causing Bendy to give a small, surprised snort as the devil's eyes shot open. Pie-cut pupils roved before focusing on Boris, who tried to give an apologetic smile just in case he'd woken the devil up. But Bendy merely gave the wolf a small but very relieved grin, his eyelids sliding closed again as he quickly fell back to sleep. Boris waited for a beat before trying again, keeping the movement of the hammock light and gentle as he pushed it into a calm rock. Once he felt that the smaller toon was sleeping soundly again, the wolf left to make sure his clothes were dry so he could get dressed properly.

* * *

It was awhile before Bendy so much as moved, though he definitely could say that he felt loads better than he did when he initially fell asleep. For a minute or two he just stayed curled up in the hammock, listening to the dull roar of machinery overhead coupled with what sounded like a fan going. Turning his head, the devil found he could actually see the fan in question through half-lidded eyes, gaze fixing dozily on the caged whirring blades before he realized something was amiss.

Boris wasn't in the room. Now, this in and of itself should not have been too alarming, Bendy could vaguely remember there being a ways between the door they'd come through and getting to this room, meaning there were probably other rooms the wolf could be in. But, with everything that he'd been through in the past several hours, the fact that Boris was not in immediate view caused a thrill of foreboding to settle into the smaller toon's ink. Shakily sitting up, and stiffening a little as that made the hammock rock sharply back and forth, Bendy peered towards the door, about to call out but stopping as something occurred to him.

If something was wrong, then yelling and screaming was probably the last thing he'd want to do. Instead Bendy considered the space below the hammock, and tried to ease himself off to stand on the trunk. Given the manner in which the hammock moved it took a few uneasy minutes of the devil trying to find a balance between shifting and not shaking the hammock to the point where he felt like it was going to flip him out. Eventually though he was able to slide off, his cloven feet hitting the wood with a clacking thump. As he reached up to grab his coat off the hammock, the sound of someone rushing to the door behind him caused the devil to start and whirl around, just in time to see a familiar canine face peek through the door.

"Bendy? You alright?" Boris asked, coming in when he realized that the smaller toon was awake. Bendy for his part just tried to hide the signs of his earlier anxiety, of course Boris had been in the other room. He'd been panicking over nothing…

"Y-Yeah, fine. Feelin' loads better, actually. Thanks for haulin' me in here, know I wasn' makin' it easy."

"Y'weren't any trouble, Ben. I'm just glad you're feelin' better." Boris replied, though the calm moment was interrupted a moment later when both toons' stomachs let out some incredibly vocal growls of hunger. The pair looked between each other for a moment in surprise before dissolving into giggles at the comical coincidence.

"C'mon…" Boris managed through his own round of laughter. "I can see 'bout makin' somethin'…there's a stove in the other room…"

"Makin' food? What exactly is there t'eat down here? Wait, don' tell me…" Bendy groaned, as the answer occurred to him. "…bacon soup?"

"Well, yeah, whoever was here last, looks like they saved some, an' I've still got the two cans…"

The little devil eventually gave the matter a heavy shrug, conceding that being able to eat something hot right now would probably be a step up from everything they'd been through up until this point. Not to mention Bendy was kind of curious as to what the rest of the place looked like as he hadn't exactly been very attentive when he was carried through before.

So, after putting his shoes on Bendy followed Boris, padding his way down the hall and around small puddles of ink, looking about and catching sight of what looked like a bathroom to his left. The wolf turned out into what looked like a front room, and Bendy stopped for a moment as he peered about at everything. A vague memory of asking Boris if this was someone's house came edging at the devil's mind, and he could remember why he had asked. The whole place did indeed look like a strange, makeshift home, with a table and chairs on the opposite wall, and a stove with a waiting pot sitting atop it. The rest of the room was pretty bare, but it was those elements, coupled with the clear effort to make the place as safe and livable has possible by meshing off the pipes, that had Bendy wondering if someone had been down here all these years. And, more disturbingly, what had happened to them. If Boris had been…out of commission this whole time, then who would have been down here to set this up? Just from the looks of things, this would have taken time to put together, probably a lot longer than it would have normally depending on when everything started going wrong.

"-Bendy?" The little devil snapped to at the sound of his name, and realized that he had been standing in the middle of the room for the past minute. Boris was next to the stove, looking back a little worriedly at the smaller toon.

"Heh, sorry, pal. Kinda let my mind wander a bit. What were y'saying?" The airy bit of bravado didn't clear all of the concern from the wolf's features, but Boris let the matter drop easily enough.

"Jus' gonna try gettin' this lit, was wonderin' how much soup you wanted."

"Eh, y'don't haveta give me that much, I know you prob'ly want a fair share."

"Well, we've got about five 'r so cans…don' think that'll be a problem."

Bendy briefly looked over the cans stacked on the table, before something occurred to him and he walked past Boris to scrutinize the soup cans a little closer. Head tilting a little in confusion, the wolf came up behind the devil and was about to ask what he was doing when Bendy reached out and rubbed at the label of one of the cans in an investigative way, looking skeptically at his still-clean finger.

"I cleaned 'em, Bendy. What, you thought I'd be pourin' ink in the pot or somethin'?" The question was punctuated with a teasing poke to the horns, something that Bendy waved off with mock-annoyance. Well, given that the wolf's overalls and gloves were looking far cleaner than they had when he'd last seen them it seemed fair that he'd gotten to the cans too.

"Yeah, yeah. Pretty sure 'em both gettin' doused in ink is enough reason to be careful. You.. maybe want any help gettin' set up?"

"'s alright, Bendy. You c'n relax. 'Sides, the stove's a little hard to get runnin'."

"C'mon, how hard can it be?"

"Yeah, you're definitely sittin' this one out now. You're not jinxin' the soup."

"I wasn't-I'm not jinxin' soup, Boris!"

"Didn't Sammy used t'call what you just said a 'phrase that invites disaster'?" Boris shot back, and though Bendy couldn't stop the brief crack in the cocksure façade at the mention of the music director, he does do his best to reply back.

"Yeah, well, I bet I could do a good job of makin' soup anyway. With or without disaster-invitin' phrases."

"Siddown, Bendy." Boris finished the argument with a gentle but firm push to the devil's shoulder, steering him to the table and making sure Bendy was firmly in his seat before turning back to the temperamental stove. The wolf had already gotten the heavy flashlight set up and beaming light into the belly of the metallic beast so he could see what he was doing. However, it wasn't long before Boris had the distinct feeling that something wasn't right.

"Need any help?"

The wolf extricated himself from the oven to see Bendy looking down at him, the too-wide, utterly innocent grin on the devil's face matched by the thoroughly unamused look on Boris's own.

"Bendy?"

"Yeah?"

"I c'n handle the stove. Park your tail in th' chair."

"C'mon, I promise not t'use any more disaster-invitin' phrases! An' you know I don' do well with sittin' still when stuff's happenin'!"

A pause, before Boris let out a sigh that reverberated through the metal of the stove, pushing himself back in.

"Alrigh', but I'm gettin' the stove workin'. You c'n help with the soup once I'm done."

"Oka-." The reply was half out of Bendy's mouth as he turned around when suddenly a loud crunching and a plume of smoke burst forth from the internals of the oven. On the stove above, a fire flared into life underneath a somewhat dented pot. However, Bendy's concern was more for the wolf that was hacking up a lung as he tried to pull himself from the bowels of the metallic monstrosity.

"B-Boris, you okay?! Where'dya get that ink from earlier, we can-!"

"'m-." The taller toon started as he sat upright, another cough cutting him off. "'m fine, Ben. 'sokay."

"W-Well, how 'bout some water? I c'n getcha some water!" The devil offered, voice easing off from the earlier panic, though it obviously wasn't enough considering Boris started shakily patting him on the shoulder a moment later, like he was the one that needed help.

"'s fine Ben. Here-." The wolf pushed himself to his feet, moving around Bendy to grab one of the chairs and yank it down to be next to the stove. Boris indicated the cans as he turned to head off to the bathroom, Bendy staring a little helplessly in his wake.

"Jus' put th' soup in the pot, Bendy. I'll be right back." The wolf ground out, voice still sounding gravely and choked nearly to seizing in another round of coughs. Boris padded his way down the hall and into the bathroom, quickly turning on the tap and waiting for the water to clear before trying to take a drink. At first, the wolf tried cupping the water in his hands before realizing that they were a little too unsteady from the barely suppressed coughs that left his whole frame shaking, and opted to just push his muzzle under the flow of the faucet. The cool liquid was a balm to his spasming throat, easing the scratchy dryness that had blown in with the overpowering smell of grease. For a bit, Boris just let himself quietly soak in the sound of the water and let that clear the various odors of the machinery. Then the wolf pushed himself back up, a brief itch flaring up making him scratch at the center of his chest before he realized what he was doing. The feeling of the raised line under his fur running from the top of his chest to about mid-stomach caused Boris to shiver, while the implications of what he had done crashed in.

He'd never been down here before, but he knew where to go. He'd never seen this place before, but knew nearly every nook and cranny as though he might have been the one living here. But, he couldn't have been, surely. He'd…he'd know outright then, if that were the case. He'd know for sure. Not to mention, though he hadn't even thought of it right then, but the smell of the machine, the oil and controlled burning had shaken something loose in the taller toon's mind.

It still felt as hazy as the rest, but there's a strange clarity to it that puts it on par with, with Joey. It was, in fact, eerily like that memory, but instead of Joey there was someone else, _someone who changed a little every time but he could clearly remember seeing horns, and a bit of a halo, like Alice's but not quite, and…an eye glowing a hot, baleful yellow as it stared down at him and he wanted to move, he wanted to run but he couldn't he couldn't move and_ -.

Boris shook himself as he felt his eyes start to burn and the air start to rush from his lungs in a gasping wheeze. He forced himself to grab at the sink, feel the shape of the porcelain through his soggy gloves. Staring down at it, he made himself breathe. Just breathe, and not think. He couldn't do this again, not with Bendy in the next room. Bendy who had been away from home for years, and came back weak, worn, and terrified. What happened upstairs was an accident, he'd gotten too wrapped up in the memory. If he didn't think, it wouldn't happen again, right?

"Boris?" Came suddenly from his left, along with a tentative knock on the doorframe. Boris was glad to say he didn't start at the sudden noise, but judging from the way Bendy was staring the wolf figured he still looked a fair bit rattled.

"I-I put th' soup in. Are you…alrigh', pal?"

The smile Boris slipped on still felt like a glass precariously balanced on the edge of a table, but there was a real edge of relief to it.

"'m fine. W-We should prob'ly go check on that…" The taller toon mumbled, shuffling stiffly out of the room with Bendy at his side. On autopilot the wolf made for the pot of soup on the stove, wiping the grime off a nearby ladle and using that to stir the lumpy broth. Beside him, Bendy clambered up onto the chair, both eager to help but stymied by the drop in Boris's mood. Feeling the smaller toon's gaze on him, Boris turned, opening his mouth as though he had something to say before the words quietly seemed to choke themselves off. Instead, Boris put the ladle down and reached out to Bendy, sweeping his friend into a somewhat desperate hug. For a moment, the smaller toon was stiff as a board, from both the lack of warning and the speed at which things had changed. Things had been downright jovial in here a moment ago, or at least, it had started to seem like the old times, why did things have to end up so different…

But then Bendy relaxed, letting out a breath that he almost didn't realize he had been holding, doing his best to hug Boris back. Another few seconds passed before the taller toon let out a shaky breath of air, and spoke.

"'m sorry, Bendy."

"F-Fer what, needin' a hug? Don' be sorry, you're fine, I jus'…kinda realizin' it's been awhile."

For a while they simply stood there, eyes closed as they tried to bury themselves in the confidence and comfort familiar company brought. But, after a few minutes had gone by, Boris suddenly sniffed the air, and quickly switched his hug into a side-hold as he reached out and grabbed the ladle to stir the almost-burning soup. So absorbed was the wolf in the task that it took Bendy clearing his nonexistent throat for the taller toon to realize that he hadn't actually put the little devil down.

"Ah, sorry, Bendy, here-."

Bendy accepted the apology with good grace, even allowing himself to be plopped down on the chair, though his eyes still showed some of the upset that he had been feeling a moment prior. Boris had looked…not as bad as he had upstairs, but coming close to the same ballpark. And Bendy was definitely wishing that he hadn't…frozen up like he had. He didn't know why, this was Boris, his best pal. His best pal who definitely looked like he'd needed the hug. Bendy just…

The devil hid a sigh, shoving the brief feeling of disorientation aside as he rationalized the somewhat tumulted thoughts and his reaction. It had been a long while, he hadn't been expecting Boris to kinda lunge at him like that, and it wasn't like he wouldn't see the wolf again so there was time to get used to...being back in someone's company.

They were getting out together, and they could figure things out. That's what they always did before, and Bendy at least liked to think that that hadn't changed.

Besides, despite the fact that the bacon soup had been sitting in the studio for the past thirty-odd years, the smell starting to come from the stove was definitely a step up from the somber mood that had been gripping the room before. Boris too was starting to look a little less tense, Bendy already being able to spot the tell-tale signs of the taller toon enjoying the scents in the air, ears perking up as his tail gave a few energetic swishes.

"Izzit almost done?" The devil asked, leaning a little closer to the pot to see the bubbling stew within. Boris gave a quiet smile at the trying-not-to-be too obvious eagerness in the smaller toon's voice.

"Think so. Jus' about." The wolf mumbled, giving the soup a few more good stirs before deeming it edible and turning to get the bowls, only to come face to face with Bendy who had grabbed them and was holding them up with a keen smile, eager eyes focused on the pot as his tail flicked back and forth. The sight brought a mirroring grin to Boris's face, and the taller toon reached out to grab one.

The piping hot soup almost felt like heaven to Bendy after the hell he'd been through for...he wasn't even sure how long. The sludgy feel was helped by the heat, and Bendy ended up nearly scalding his tongue in an effort to eat it before it went cold. Boris too seemed to have a similar opinion, both bowls empty before long and filled back up again with more from the pot. This time both ate a little slower, actually savoring what they could from the meal rather than scarfing it down. Once both bowls had been emptied a second time, Bendy sat back as he quietly savored the feeling of being somewhere safe, fed, and most importantly, not alone. Boris's eyes had found the record player on the shelf, hands moving to tinker with the aged parts to see if he could make it work.

It was then that the little toon noticed something that he was amazed he hadn't picked up on before. There was another hallway that led off to the right of the stove, perhaps to another room?

"Hey, Boris..." The devil started, head cocked on a nonexistent neck. "…what's down there?"

"Hmm? Oh. I...don' think there's anythin' down there, no doors or anythin' like that. Maybe a storage spot 'r somethin'?" The wolf replied, half distracted with the record player. Though the explanation did make some sense, it didn't satisfy Bendy's curiosity. Pushing himself off his chair, the small toon kept his voice light as he made his way to the hall.

"I'm just gonna go see what's down there. Holler if y'need me."

He barely waited for Boris's reply of 'alright' before walking forward, easily rounding the corner and coming to a dead halt. Well, the taller toon had been completely correct, there wasn't much back here that was useable. Unless there was something in the barrel behind him, but Bendy was a little more preoccupied by what was on the far wall.

It looked like some sort of weird collage of the posters that he'd seen all about the studio, the ones that advertised the shorts that were made. However, the manner in which they were put together was, well, more than a little disturbing, especially with everything that Bendy had seen so far. The part that drew his eyes the most was what looked like one of the images of Boris on the _Sheep Songs_ poster, which was torn up into pieces and pasted in not-quite uniform fashion on the wall. It wasn't completely disorganized, but there were definitely a few scraps of paper that were out of place with the rest of the picture, as well as some notable space in between all of the pieces. Next to that was an image of Alice, though the angel's picture appeared to have been streaked with ink. It was not enough to obscure who it was, but enough that it was an obvious, deliberate gesture. Arranged around the image of Alice were several smaller images, the smiling faces that Bendy's printed counterpart displayed in the show posters. These too were a little defaced, with lines running down from their pie-cut eyes, almost like whoever put this together was trying to depict them crying.

But what bothered Bendy was the two pieces of paper placed above the piecemeal image of Boris, one a ripped, sole image of the leering grin present on Bendy's promotional image, and a strip from Alice's poster depicting just her horns and her halo. The two scraps occupied similar positions above the image of Boris, almost as though they were either watching or had some sort of leeway over whatever someone was trying to say about the wolf. It was hard to tell if the images were all interrelated, but for the moment Bendy couldn't help but wonder if this had been designed to scare, or tell whoever might be looking at it something important.

The devil's dark widow's peak furrowed as he tried to figure it out, walking a little closer to see if he had missed anything. Boris was, broken, or had been broken, though the presence of the grin and the part of Alice didn't seem to make much sense. The position seemed to hint at some kind of involvement, like the pair causing something that cracked the wolf apart into pieces. Was it saying that Bendy and Alice had both had something to do with it directly?

Well, the small devil conceded that he could see himself being depicted that way, what with all the cult worship, but didn't see why Alice would be there. And, why in only those pieces, wouldn't it have made more sense to put the whole picture…unless it just wanted to draw attention to those features specifically…

The Alice one was another conundrum, and he had no idea what the artist was trying to say by doing that to the poster. Alice was…rubbed out but not really? Alice was hidden? Alice was somewhere with ink? The Bendy faces didn't help; were they meant to be crying over Alice or were they supposed to imply something else? Then again, Sammy had been wearing a mask of Bendy's face, maybe that was what this meant…

Did that mean there were others like Sammy out there? The thought almost made the devil reconsider leaving the little safehouse, though he knew that eventually supplies would run down, and they'd have to leave to search for more, which if they did that more and more meant that they would up their chances of running into more crazy ink-covered nutjobs. The best option would be to get the hell out of dodge as quickly as possible, but how they were even going to do that now…

Looking down, Bendy caught sight of another little thing, a drawing barely large enough to be covered by his hand. It was a very simple image, of Bendy's head but with a more natural smiley face drawn instead of the leering grin. Around it was a circle, all drawn in ink with no assistance from a poster. The lines were a little smudged, and the image hard to see with both its size and the fact that it was dragged down in a smear, but the shape of the head and the smiley face were easy enough to make out. In a slight trance, the devil reached up and with a gloved hand quietly mirrored the gentle downward swipe, dragging his fingers over the small doodle.

Was this supposed to mean him, somehow? Any why did the person who made it smear it like this? It didn't look or feel like it had been done roughly at all…

The sound of crackling music starting up from the sitting area made Bendy jump, hands flying away from the wall art as though it burned. It took the devil a few moments to realize where the noise had come from, though immediately he felt a little foolish. It was just Boris, only Boris. He had to stop being so jumpy before he gave himself a heart attack.

Not that he was lacking for excuses in that…

Turning away from the collage, Bendy walked back out into the main room, almost back to his seat before Boris suddenly spoke up.

"Bendy, you okay?"

The little devil's neckless head jerked as he turned to look, catching the growing concern in Boris's face as he stared down at Bendy. Several things occurred to the smaller toon, that Boris had no idea what was sitting in the alcove, and Bendy wasn't sure he wanted the wolf to see.

"Heh, nothin', just…was thinkin'." Black shoes shuffled on the wooden floor as Bendy skirted back to his seat, pulling himself up onto the chair.

"Thinkin' 'bout what?" Boris asked, voice gentle but not letting the matter go. The devil stared down at the table for a moment, trying to work his thoughts into something he could use for debate if he needed. If he were a shrewder guy, Bendy would say that the lack of needing to explain a plan or bring up tougher points would be something that he missed about being alone.

"I…Do, you wanna stay here?"

The manner in which Boris's head jerked caused Bendy to jump, both toons meeting each other's eyes with twin expressions of surprise and creeping dread.

"N-No!" The wolf blurted out, voice leaping between shock and an urgent fear that had Bendy scrambling to apologize, to divert the upset that he saw though he wasn't completely sure of where it was coming from. Albeit, there was some, insidious little whisper in his mind that said Bendy was the one at fault.

"S-Sorry, sorry Boris, I'm sorry, I won'-I didn't…"

"N-No, it's…you don' havta be sorry, Bendy, I-I jus' I thought you wanted…I thought you w-wanted t'get outta here, why'dya change your mind?"

"Wh-No, no I didn't, I jus', I was jus' wonderin', with everythin' out there, maybe… I dunno, I'm jus'…" Bendy rounded of the somewhat rambling explanation by propping his somewhat drippy head on his hands, fingers kneading at his scalp for a moment in an effort to dispel some of the rattled and frayed nerves.

"I want t'get out. With you." Boris murmured from across the table, causing Bendy to look up from his huddle, staring for a beat before a heavy sigh finally slid out of his mouth.

"I wanna get outta here too. This place is…alright, bu' th' longer we stay, th' more likely somethin's gonna wind up gettin' us sooner or later. We need t'get out. T'gether." The last word was added with a much more steady air, a wane smile making its way across the small, pale face as Bendy looked to Boris, the wolf reciprocating the gesture as both let out a calming breath. The lull carried for a few more seconds before Bendy spoke again.

"Jus', we'll wanna get ready first b'fore goin' back out. Where'd you get th' ink from before?"

"In th' trunk." Bendy nodded at Boris's answer as he pushed himself off the chair, already going to the bedroom. The wolf had just drawn level with the little devil when suddenly Bendy stopped, expression falling as something occurred to him.

"An', we're gonna need somethin' else."

"…Like what?"

"We're gonna need a weapon. We lost the axe, remember?"

"Right, right." Boris replied, the slight embarrassment at the earlier accident still stinging a little in his mind.

"Alrigh', here's what we're gonna do. I'll get th' ink an' make sure we c'n carry it without somethin' happenin'. You, think maybe you can find somethin' we c'n use if somethin' comes after us?" Bendy asked, turning a little hesitantly to Boris. Still, if there was anything regarding the near-episode and tension from before the wolf didn't seem to hold it against the devil, instead letting his brow furrow in thought as he considered the problem.

"I'll see what we've got. I mean, th' flashlight's pretty heavy, but we're prob'ly gonna need that…"

Bendy tried not to keep the smile that formed from looking too relieved as he turned back to the hall.

"Alrigh', you think on it, lemme know if y'need anythin'. I'll be gettin' th' ink."

"Sure thing, Bendy." Boris replied, the distracted though still good-natured tone warming the devil's mood as he hurried from the room, noting the sound of Boris in the hallway behind him as he settled down to work. Finding the inkwells was no trouble, but it took Bendy a moment to figure out what to do to cushion them, eventually catching sight of a folded blanket at the bottom of the trunk. Silently offering an apology to whomever had lived here, Bendy pulled out the blanket and with a bit effort started to tear strips off, wrapping them around the small glass bottles until he felt they were properly cushioned. He was just figuring out how best to carry them when a sudden grinding noise followed by a crunch came from the bathroom, causing the devil to jump and turn back to the hall.

"Boris, you alright?!"

It took a few agonizing seconds before the wolf replied, though if there was any bit of relief to the situation it was that Boris didn't sound the least bit afraid or hurt. If anything, he sounded downright jovial.

"I'm fine, Bendy! Jus' found…nevermind, I'll tell you later!"

Alright, well, as long as it didn't sound like the wolf was dying or anything…

Bendy hurried to get the rest of the inkwells bundled up and put away, two to a pocket. He could faintly hear Boris moving from the bathroom to the main room, heading out a moment or two behind the wolf. However, as he came back into the front room, the devil came to a halt for a moment as he caught sight of Boris, or more particularly what Boris was holding up triumphantly in his hand.

A pipe. A pipe that looked suspiciously like it came from the bathroom.

"Uh, Boris?"

"Yeah, Bendy? Look, I found something! I mean, there was a plunger in the bathroom but I was battin' that against the wall an' figured we needed somethin' a little heavier, an' that's when I noticed the pipe! Whaddya think?"

Though there were a few queries waiting on the tip of his tongue, Bendy let them die at the completely proud smile on the wolf's face.

"I think it's great, Boris, good call." He tried not to think too hard on the idea of the bathroom flooding, though he figured if it was he would have already seen some evidence of it by now. They decided right away that Bendy would carry the pipe and Boris would get the flashlight, mostly based on the fact that the metal box was a little too heavy for Bendy to safely run with if they should need to.

However, now came the moment that both toons were somewhat dreading. At first, Bendy was a little confused at the fact that the door had no knob, before Boris took out a toolbox and withdrew a lever. The wolf placed it onto the panel next to the door, his hand hesitating for only a moment before pulling the lever down.

The manner in which the door swung open made both toons tense, though the fact that there was nothing there was both relieving and rather worrying in and of itself. Bendy let out a breath, reaching out and grabbing Boris's hand, a modicum of relief bolstering him when the wolf lightly squeezed his fingers back.

"Ready?" The devil asked, pie-cut eyes turning slowly up to look the taller toon in the eye. Though there was a slight tremble to the answering grin, Boris's voice was steady as he answered back.

"Good t'go."

And they stepped out, turning at the corner to come to a hallway. It appeared empty of anything that might hurt them at first glance, though the presence of what looked like a wooden booth of some kind caused Bendy to hurriedly revoke that thought.

"Boris, what's that?" Cause, the wolf had to have walked right past it before, right? Sure he hadn't stopped to look at it at the time, they'd kind of been in a hurry, but maybe Boris had seen something like it before all the bad happened.

Still, the taller toon looked as stymied as Bendy felt, head tilting a little as he considered the rectangular box.

"No idea." The comment made the devil turn back to the wooden booth, eyes narrowing at the sight of an oval drawn on the front. It was only then that he realized there was a sign on the top, curiosity drawing Bendy a little closer so he could read it.

"'Little Miracle'…" He paused, squinting over the small print of the last word. "…'Station?'"

Maybe it was meant to be some kind of crazy merchandise thing for Alice… the wording on the sign seemed to be pointing that way. Even looking at the oval again made the little devil realize that it was probably meant to be a halo. Though, what would someone even use this thing for?

Catching sight of what looked like a handle Bendy reached out, gloved hand trying to keep from openly trembling as he gripped the wooden bar and pulled outward. For all his nervousness though, Bendy needn't have worried; the booth was empty, the only thing present being a little bench inside for a person to sit on. Still, he hardly felt the need to go in, letting the door close before his head turned to the right, and he noticed a doorway. A doorway which had nothing but black sitting beyond it.

Swallowing down another bout of nerves, Bendy briefly glanced over to Boris, and noticed that the wolf still held the flashlight in his hands. Though the taller toon's attention was more focused on the booth, a hand tracing the inky line of the halo on the front. Hesitatingly taking his eyes off the doorway, Bendy tried to piece together the expression on Boris's face, the task not quite hard but what he found didn't make much sense. It was a strange look, of some recognition but mired with other emotions that took a few more moments to pull apart. The wolf's ears folded down, his tail tucking close to his legs as his shoulders minutely slumped. Boris's hand quietly pulled into a clenched fist, knuckles resting against the wood as his head bowed, everything in the taller frame going tense as a finely-tuned fiddle. Now the wolf's face was a little easier to read though the manner in which it was twisting in a mix of discomfit and dread immediately made Bendy feel as though he had to intervene, whatever was happening.

Reaching up, the devil hesitated only a moment before wrapping his fingers around Boris's arm, nearly drawing away when the wolf gave a small jerk as he snapped out of whatever daze he was in and looked down to the devil.

"You alrigh'?"

"Ye-Yeah, I was just…" Boris trailed off, features darkening with what looked like indecision before catching sight of the door. "I'll tell you later."

The first few steps beyond the doorway were by far the most harrowing, the light from the flashlight taking way too long to illuminate the far wall. And, as it lit up a wall of shifting mechanic parts, Bendy couldn't help but wonder just what Joey had changed in all the years, or what some of these machines were used for. Neither toon dared to speak as they steadily plodded on, though Bendy reached up and found Boris's unoccupied hand. As his fingers wrapped around, the wolf's hand closed, giving the little toon's fingers a light squeeze. And though Bendy knew that if he tried to look up he wouldn't be able to see the wolf's expression, he liked to think it was Boris's way of reassurance.

The mere fact that Bendy wasn't here on his own already made things better by leaps and bounds, keeping his feet steady and his hands from trembling too much. It made him more able to just observe though when corner after corner yielded nothing but moving mechanisms and drips of ink from the ceiling, the little devil couldn't help but wonder where exactly they were that all this was needed. True, he'd never been down here, but he'd also never heard anything about it either, which seemed odd given how big this part was. Not to mention with the presence of a bathroom it seemed stocked for workers…

Turning another corner, the pair ended up in a knoll, and as Boris beamed the light around a shape began to come into visibility next to a doorway. At first, Bendy thought it was just another cutout. Certainly seemed that way from its feet, but as Boris let the light from the flashlight travel higher, the beam illuminated a sign it was holding. Spelled out in big white letters on a black background were the words ' **WANDERING IS A TERRIBLE SIN** ', and both quickly discovered that that wasn't the only difference this cutout had. Panning the light up higher revealed that the normal pie-cut pupils were replaced by a pair of staring eyes with irises and proper whites. The leering smile was still very much the same, though the whole face was further distorted by the presence of inky streaks under the eyes, at the corners of the smile, and running down from its forehead.

Bendy's fingers clamped down tightly on Boris's hand, the wolf squeezing back in response though neither said a word, or seemed at all inclined to look away from the creepy image. Slowly the pair tried to inch their way to the right where the hallway continued, still keeping their light trained on the cutout as though it would suddenly move if left in the dark. It could have been Bendy's imagination, but he thought he could hear something, just faintly as they passed. Like a weird, whispering noise under the sounds of the machinery grinding and clanking away around them. He didn't dare speak to ask Boris if he'd heard it too, instead keeping his mouth shut, feet moving, and tried not to think on it too hard. Eventually though, they did have to point the light forward again so as to see where they were going, the cutout behind the corner by then. However the tension it instilled didn't leave, and as they came to another part of the hall where a light flickeringly illuminated some more machinery, another noise sounding from under the usual hum caused both toons to nearly leap out of their respective skins and dash through down the hallway, the smaller toon's feet practically flying on the floor to keep up. Machine parts, barrels, and other odds and ends flew past as they ran, and though Bendy didn't dare look back he thought he could still hear the whispering noise coming from somewhere behind, perhaps accompanied by quick footsteps, or was it the toons' own echoes crashing in on his ears?

Either way, when they finally dashed into a lit area, with a door slamming closed behind them, both were undeniably more than a little relieved. Though Bendy had the urge to sit down against the wall and catch his breath he didn't dare, instead looking to the also panting wolf standing next to him.

"B-Boris?" He ground out, voice wheezing though whether it was from windedness or terror he couldn't really tell. Very likely both at this point. "You alrigh'?"

"Yeah, 'm fine." The taller toon forced through what sounded like a dry throat, trying to give Bendy a reassuring look. The devil's face almost felt able to return it, before he looked past the wolf and laid eyes on the fact that there was another door on the opposite end of the room, this one also closed tight.

"Oh no."

"What? What is it?" Boris asked, ears perking up as his head turned to see what Bendy had noticed. The little toon walked past, putting his free hand on the door as though that would make a doorknob magically appear but to no avail. As Bendy fruitlessly plugged away, doing everything from looking for a button to pulling at the seam in between the two doors, Boris hung back, eyes surveying the closed door in front to a grate to the left, something starting to form in his mind. Despite the hazier, piecemeal nature, much like the rest of the worrying memories that he had been dealing with since he'd gotten down here, Boris didn't let himself be too bothered with it right now. Not if it could help them get out of here.

Bendy had just made up his mind to try seeing if they could jam the door open with something when the sight of Boris walking from his side to the grate caught his eye. His mouth opened to ask the taller toon what he was doing when Boris gave the metal cover a few tugs, pulling it clear from the vent beyond. Pie-cut eyes fixed on the darkness for a moment before turning to face Bendy, expression calm considering what he was about to do.

"Bendy, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need the flashlight for a bit."

The devil handed the heavy thing over with no resistance, not quite believing what he was seeing until Boris was starting to ease himself into the vent. The sight snapped the devil out of the daze, and he immediately scurried forward to stand next to the opening.

"B-Boris, wait, I don' think y'should be wanderin' off-!" Bendy tried, leaning warily in to look. Boris couldn't really turn around, but he did try to call back to the devil.

"It's alright, Bendy, I know how t'get it open. Just stay there an' I'll be right back!" The echoing holler was followed by a few more clunks as Boris crawled further forward, the taller toon vanishing into the dark. Swallowing down the thrill of anxiety that the sight brought, Bendy withdrew from the grate and stood back, though he couldn't take his eyes away from the dark space.

And ended up being startled by the grinding noise of the door opening at his right a few minutes later. Bendy stiffened, his tail lashing agitatedly at the sight of the new opening.

Well, that was good, Boris had opened the door. That was a good thing.

Except the wolf hadn't come back yet, and Bendy was growing thoroughly unnerved by that and an image of his own face on the wall at the other end of a short hall beyond the now-open door. Why did Joey have to use that particular image every time? That smile was giving him the creeps…

Still curiosity did beckon Bendy enough to get him to move to the end of the hall, trying to peer around the corners at either side of the self-portrait. What he managed to make out was even more confusing, on one side there was what looked like a doll of himself, but downright enormous. On the other side, a similar doll of Boris sat.

Speaking of which, the sight reminded Bendy of the fact that he still hadn't heard a peep from the taller toon. Quickly backing up, the devil immediately went back to the grate, peering into the darkness to see if he could catch some hint of the wolf. The idea to try climbing in after Boris occurred to the smaller toon, but after remembering the way that Boris had had to hunch down just to fit he decided against it. No need to do something that would very likely get them both stuck…

"Boris?" Bendy called cautiously into the dark, listening closely for something, anything, that might tell him whether or not the wolf was alright. However, as Bendy listened, he picked up another noise coming from somewhere in the room beyond. Like…someone humming?

Though Bendy could place neither the tune nor the person behind it, there was something very familiar about the voice. Familiar enough that the little devil found himself venturing beyond the open doorway, quietly walking out through the small hallway and gaping as he found himself in a massive room. The ceiling seemed almost endless after the claustrophobic suffocation of the hallways he'd already traveled through, the feeling only heightened by the presence of both the giant pair of Bendy and Boris dolls, as well as planes hanging from the ceiling. He could see another, slightly smaller but still very massive Bendy doll sitting on the edge of what looked like some kind of fountain with the label 'Heavenly Toys' placed over where there would normally be water dripping down, except the water was ink and that ruined some of Bendy's mild awe at seeing the place.

Still, he definitely knew that there hadn't been anything like this thirty years ago. If there had been, he'd have heard about it at the very least, right? If not from Joey, then maybe one of the staff mentioning it to the others surely. He would have heard something…

Actually, now that the devil was out in the open, he realized that there was no sign as to who had been making the humming noise, what looked like a catwalk behind the fountain appearing completely bare of anyone, or anything, which seemed pretty much the same for the rest of the cavernous room. Looking to the side, Bendy abruptly caught sight of another one of those 'Little Miracle Station' booths, frowning a little at it before he moved a little closer to the gated pathway in the middle leading down the center of the room. He'd deal with that in a moment, but right now, he was stuck between trying to listen to see if he could figure out where the humming had been coming from, and going back to make sure Boris had gotten out of the vent okay. Was it his imagination or was the sound still there, hidden under the grind of machinery and the bubbling of the ink as it gushed down the fountain?

Maybe whoever it was had moved away from the room?

Bendy's unsure but curious path led him down the center of the walkway as he strained his ears, his eyes lighting on the enormous Boris doll with a somewhat bittersweet smile spreading across his face as something occurred to him. Looked like, despite what the devil had thought earlier, the wolf did end up getting a toy made of him; production just never got off the ground.

A sudden squeak from under his foot caused the thought to cut off, Bendy nearly jolting out of his skin before he realized where the noise had come from. He'd stepped on another doll lying on the floor. At first, Bendy just thought it looked a little strange, before he picked it up and got a closer look at it, discovering that it's head was missing. What was even more subtly alarming, was who the doll looked like.

It was Alice Angel. At least, he thought so. The little black dress and shoes seemed like a big enough give away given that as far as Bendy knew, there was no one else it could be. And though Bendy could say he was somewhat glad Alice got her own doll, the state he'd found it in was more than enough to unnerve him.

Wait, the humming earlier…it sounded feminine, could it have been…?

"Alice…?" Bendy practically breathed, unwilling to push his voice to be any louder even as his feet moved to take the stairs. The catwalk behind the fountain was empty, but the presence of a door at least gave him a direction, even if the cables running across the floor from a switch were more than a little ominous. Peering around from the doorway, the devil caught sight of more machines in a room at the end of a short hall, though these weren't running. Across the room, Bendy noticed shelves, stocked with what looked like toys. Padding cautiously in, the little devil poked about through the room dominated by giant machines and a worktable, taking note of some spaces behind the shelves. However, from the way they were positioned, he couldn't simply slide through to them, and for a moment Bendy was stumped. Stumped, but not stopped.

The toon devil carefully walked about the room looking at the still wheels of the machines, eyes finally lighting on a switch attached to one that the cables from outside ran into. Maybe, that could be helpful…

Going back out to the catwalk Bendy found the lever the cables connected to, gingerly tugging the old mechanism down into the 'on' position and scurrying back to the workroom. He was instantly met with a dull but prevalent grinding noise, freezing for a moment before he realized it was coming from the giant wheels on the machines. The fact that they were even making sound at all was harrowing enough, the idea that it might attract something nearly causing Bendy to run back out to flip the lever back before he noticed something in the wheel next to the switch. A toy plane, jammed into the space between the belt and the wheel. On a whim Bendy quickly reached in and pulled it out, the grinding noise lessening as the wheel began to move unhindered.

Upon examining the rest of the wheels, he found there were toys shoved into all of them in one way or another. Wincing a little, Bendy managed to extricate another decapitated Alice, the leg of an Alice doll, and a head from one of the Boris dolls, even resorting to nudging them out with the pipe if they were out of his immediate reach. Though the sight of his pals mangled, even in doll form, caused a squeezing sensation to grip Bendy's insides he kept his expression calm and instead tried to focus on the quiet hum of the fixed toy machines. Nothing had happened, everything was mostly fine, he was fine, Boris was-.

Oh no he forgot about Boris.

The thought rushed Bendy back down the catwalk, through the giant toy room and back to the grate, still worryingly empty. Kneeling and peering into the dark, the little devil's pie-cut eyes fruitlessly tried to see some sign of the wolf crawling back through, but found nothing.

"Boris?!" Bendy shouted, the hollow echo of the grate the only thing answering back. "Answer me, please pal! You there?!"

Still nothing, and the smaller toon's anxiety was starting to go through the roof. Where was Boris, was he hurt, what if he was dead not again not again **this is all your fault** -.

Bendy paused, head turning back to the vent and noting the way it led off into the dark. He, he was overreacting. Maybe Boris couldn't come back this way. Maybe there was another opening somewhere that the wolf had had to go to, Bendy just had to find it!

Emboldened by the idea, the toon devil tried to race back up to the workshop as quietly as possible, peering about for a moment before remembering the switch. The first tug didn't reveal a door, but it did open up to an odd little knoll, in which was a desk and another tape deck. Even though the urge to find another vent, to find Boris, was still very much present in Bendy's mind, he still hurried over to give the thing a listen. Who knows, it might tell him something useful…

" _I don't be seein' what the big deal is. So what if I went and painted some of those Bendy dolls with a crooked smile? That's sure no reason for Mr. Drew to be flyin' off the handle at me. And if he really wants to be so helpful, he could be tellin' me what I'm to be doin' with this warehouse I got full of that angel whatchamacallit. Not a scrap of that mess be a-sellin'! Probably have to melt it all down to be rid of it all…"_

The voice that came on was accented, lively, but no one Bendy remembered, that along with the content immediately throwing him off somewhat. However, once the tape had clicked off, his thoughts began to spin into conjectures, his widow's peak furrowing as he tried to think. He didn't know who that was, honestly had no idea how his own dolls were made when he was here, though Bendy could say he was familiar with Joey's…habits regarding perfection on things. More so than he'd like.

To be honest, it wouldn't have really gotten to him if some of the dolls were painted wrong. It might have looked like him, but given that he was sure if the man, the toymaker, had been painting toys all day then it seemed all the more likely that some were going to be a little different as things wore on. And he was right, really, so what if they did? Some kid would still get a doll at the end of the day, which is what they were meant for, right?

…Right?

Shoving the thoughts away, Bendy was about to leave, before he looked a little to the side and noticed that there was a dish with what looked like a pulsating little blob in the shape of a Bendy doll. He only realized it was ink when he reached out a hand to it, the brief touch causing the shape to jump and shift into another, this time the doll of Alice. Alright, unnerving, but seemingly harmless, Bendy thought as he glanced about before tapping it again, this time creating a small Boris doll. He had no idea how toys were supposed to be made, but he was pretty sure this wasn't it…

Inadvertently he ended up giving the thing another tap, the new shape that sprung up a fair bit different from the ones before. It took Bendy a while before he was able to identify precisely what he was seeing, though what he'd at first thought was a trunk, he came to recognize as a nozzle.

The ink machine. He was staring at a miniaturized version of the ink machine.

Reflexively, the devil reached up and gave the blob another tap, a little relieved when the familiar image of a Bendy doll leapt into existence. However, the sight had been more than enough to make the toon leave the workstation alone, moving back to the switch again and giving it another tug. This time, as the shelves slid by, the gap opened up a small hallway that led to a closed door. Both hopeful and dreading, the little devil crept over, hesitating only a moment before letting his fingers close on the knob. The room inside appeared to be another dead end, though for the moment the observation was put on a temporary backburner as he stared from poster to poster and crate to crate, seemingly full of merchandise depicting Alice Angel. There was even a shelf of dolls on the other side of the room…

' _He could be tellin' me what I'm to be doin' with this warehouse I got full of that angel whatchamacallit. Not a scrap of that mess be a-sellin'_ …'

It was one thing to hear it, another to have it hit him in the face like this. Part of Bendy couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness for the angel. Despite them not getting along initially, mostly due to antics on his part, he never wanted her to…be forgotten, tucked away in some dark corner of a dingy little room like this. However this didn't really look like a storeroom, more like some sort of showroom, with a stage made from a frame painted to look like a television set and opening up on what looked like a dressing room. On the other side a door with a halo-wearing star sat, the room almost forlorn in its abandonment like a decrypt playground or empty family home.

Though the thought was sobering, Bendy knew he couldn't stay here long. If Boris was somewhere ahead, then the toon devil needed to get to him as quickly as possible. Bad enough they were separated in here, it would be even worse if he let it continue any longer than he had to. Catching sight of a door on the left wall in front, Bendy gave a sigh, squared his shoulders and levied the pipe over one as he began walking towards it. Then the lights turned off, the click-induced plunge into darkness nearly making the small toon leap out of his skin. Just as quickly, the TVs all around the room clicked on, all with an image of the resident angel's face showing as a song started to play. The sound was tinny, the words a little hard to make out at first, but Bendy could place them pretty quick. He'd heard Alice practicing this a dozen times or so before her big debut, he could remember reassuring the angel that she was gonna be great at the song…

 _"I'm the cutest little angel, sent from above, and I know just how to swing._

 _I got a bright little halo, and I'm filled with love…_

 _I'm Alice Angel!"_

Looking around, Bendy realized with a start that the door had closed behind him, effectively trapping him in the room. Dread turned to outright fear when he realized it was locked. Dashing over to the other door, he found that it was in the same state as the first.

" _I'm the hit of the party, I'm the belle of the ball, I'm the toast of every town._

 _Just one little dance, and I'll warm your heart…_

 _I'm Alice Angel!"_

Ink was starting to drip down Bendy's face as he pulled frantically at the knob, the metal unyielding against his shaking fingers. His tail lashed as he spun around, dashing to the first door and pulling again as though it might release him with enough force but it held firm. The click of the light inside the stage across the room did give him some more light to see, but the fact that it happened at all just caused the little toon's pulse to reach a new tempo in his building panic.

" _I ain't no flapper, I'm a classy ditch, and boy, can this girl sing!_

 _This gal can grant your every wish…"_

And with a crash, something slammed into the window of the TV, Bendy freezing in fright as he took in the look of the newcomer. It was almost like someone had taken the softer, more approachable features of the angel and twisted them into something older, with the entire left side of the face looking like a melted wax doll or a leering skull, it's one bright yellow eye glinting as it stared at the terrified toon across the room. Its features warped in a snarl as it shouted, voice a mix of shrieking feminine tones and something much darker, the lights flickering wildly.

" _ **I'M ALICE ANGEL!"**_

The lights went out just as a crash of broken glass echoed throughout the room, leaving Bendy stiff as a board against the door as he listened to the maniacal laughter echoing off the walls. His jaws forced themselves apart as a cry of terror finally escaped from his lungs, his shaking frame hunching down to protect itself as the pipe lifted against an attack he knew had to be coming.

But eventually, the laughter began to die down, the silence following almost worse, because really, what could come next once she was done laughing but him getting pulverized or something equally gruesome?

" _ **I see you there**_." Well if that was exactly what he didn't want to hear. But she was hardly done. " _ **A new fly in my endless web. Come, let's see if you're worthy to walk with angels**_."

And the lights came back on, the door flying open behind him. Bendy didn't waste a moment, despite the newcomer having apparently gone, and bolted back through the workshop.

* * *

Boris pulled himself from the vent, stretching to alleviate the tension cramping up his arms and legs. For a moment, the wolf was completely content being out in a place where he could properly move, though that feeling tampered down somewhat when he realized that Bendy was gone. A bolt of panic started to flare in Boris's chest, carrying him through the open doorway at a quick walk and then a run as his ears caught a faint myriad of sounds up ahead, one of which sounded like a scream.

Though the sight of the enormous toys of both himself and Bendy did cause Boris to stare he didn't stop moving, dashing down the center aisle and taking the right staircase, coming up to the catwalk just in time for Bendy to crash into his legs and make him drop the flashlight as the rest of him followed suit. The pair landed on the metal in a heap, Boris recovering first to sit up with a worried, irritable snarl.

"Bendy, I told you t'stay in the-!" The anger died almost immediately as it arrived, once the wolf noticed that Bendy was shaking like a leaf in a wind tunnel, the devil's mouth forming words but with no sound to give them voice. They passed through one right after the other, too fast for Boris to even have a hope of reading them even without the dribbling ink starting to make its way down Bendy's face from his browline. Once the devil realized who he'd run into, he started grabbing at the taller toon's hands, small fingers trying to wrap around the both of them while he pointed back at the workshop and the showroom with a shaking finger.

"Bendy wha- is somethin' back there?" The wolf asked before noticing that the smaller toon was starting to hyperventilate in his panic as well as try very hard to pull Boris back towards the stairs. Not sparing a moment to speak, the wolf simply hefted Bendy up before dashing away, nearly halfway through the room when he caught sight of a familiar-looking booth in between the two doors leading back to the hall. Making a snap decision, Boris skidded to a halt, trying to open the door and get himself and Bendy inside with as much quiet haste as possible. Settling down on the bench, Boris tried to calm both himself and Bendy down. The devil had gone quiet, seeming to take a conscious effort to steady out his breathing though the shakes hadn't quite dissipated. Not really knowing what else to do, the taller toon simply kept his arms wrapped around the smaller frame, a hand rubbing up and down over the upper part of Bendy's spine.

"Boris…" Bendy whispered, voice trying for steady but falling a little short. Taking the brief squeeze in the hug, the devil continued. "I-I saw…I saw…"

"'m listenin', Ben. What'd you see?" Boris asked, after the silence had dragged on for more than half a minute. The wolf could feel the devil's frame renew its trembling, shoulders tensing under the coat. "It's alright, Bendy. I'm here, it's alright."

"A-Alice…" The devil said, voice wet and strangled. "I-I saw…Alice…"

The mention of the name caused Boris to stiffen, a strange blend of emotions running through his mind before he was able to speak. Alice…invoked concern, anticipation, hope, but also…dread. Lots of dread. The wolf didn't let himself think on it too deeply, more worried about Bendy and quite possibly Alice for the time being.

"You saw Alice. Alright that's, that's good-."

But Bendy was shaking his head, pulling back to look Boris in the eye. The devil looked absolutely wretched, tear tracks just barely dry as the smaller frame tensed tighter than a drum.

"No, no, B-Boris, it was…she was…she wasn' alright, she was wrong, everythin's wrong, she just, screamin' an' talkin' not like herself an'…it's m-my fault…" Bendy's hands had come up to clench against his head, pressing against the inky skin as the shaking renewed. Boris watched the motions with growing alarm, finally rewrapping the smaller toon in a grounding squeeze against his chest.

"Bendy, don'…don' say that, it's not your fault, b-bu' what were y'talkin' about? What happened to Alice?"

"Sh-She looked, different, Boris." Was all the smaller toon could get out at first, before managing to take a couple deep breaths.

"She didn'…look like us no more, didn' look like a toon, she l-looked like a…like a…" Boris almost opened his mouth to speak, to nearly demand the rest of the explanation from Bendy but the fact that the smaller toon was shaking so much, and sounded close to breaking down again made the wolf decide to wait.

"Sh-She looked like a, like a human, 'r a statue but not p-put t'gether righ'… Her face, Boris, it was all…" The motion Bendy made took a moment for Boris to figure out, the devil shakily pulling at one side of his face as his eyes stared anxiously up at the wolf, imploring for him to understand.

Not that Boris really knew what to say about that. Though Bendy looked like he'd definitely seen something terrifying, the wolf had a hard time even imagining what was being described. Alice, but human, or statuelike, but all messed up?

It, sounded almost too strange to be believed, except…

 _…groaning through half-lidded eyes, pain reverberating through his body has he stared up at a singular glowing eye looking down at him from above, a faint warped giggle accompanying his slide into darkness…_

Boris shoved the strange reverie aside, catching sight of the horror ebbing away in the face of confusion in Bendy's expression right before the wolf swept him up in a hug.

"Boris…?" The smaller toon asked, voice growing steadier but still overladen with concern. "Is, is everythin' okay? Well, I mean, are you okay, y'kinda…didn't look it for a minute there…"

No response, and Bendy spoke up again.

"Was, was it because of what I said? With Alice? I'm sorry, I didn' mean t'scare…I mean, I jus'…"

"'s alright, Bendy, it wasn't that, I jus', I've…I dunno…"

Well, he probably would need to say something about it at some point, and Bendy and him, they'd never really kept secrets from each other before now, not really. Not to mention, this was kind of scary for the wolf so even with the thought that he was burdening Bendy unnecessarily, he took a deep breath and started talking, trying to figure things out as they went.

"I've been, I've been kind of…rememberin' some things, but they don' feel like memories…Like, I knew where everythin' was in the safe house, I knew how everythin' worked, an'…it's like I know this place but I don', I've never been down here!" Realizing how loud he had gotten, Boris immediately quieted down, both toons tensing a little as they listened for any noise outside of the booth. The wolf even peered through a small slat in the door, seeing nothing that would herald any impending danger.

"I dunno exactly what else is down here, but we gotta go. Soon as we can." Boris murmured, looking back down just in time to see Bendy nod in agreement.

"Sure not gonna argue with you on that, pal. Look, I dunno what's goin' on either, bu' y'know I've got your back, right?"

"An' I got yours, cause that's what pals do." Boris finished, a quiet, relieved smile spreading across his face. The grin turned a touch mischievous as he added: "Provided you're not runnin' off again."

"Hey, trust me, think it's better if we stick t'gether from now on so I won' be goin' anywhere. No worries there." Boris's smile grew wider at the reply from Bendy, a hand coming up to tousle the devil's nonexistent hair. Both sat in companionable silence for a moment, before they looked at each other, coming to the quiet conclusion that they couldn't stay here. Not much longer, at any rate.

Boris reached out, pushing the door open as he peered about, both toons easing themselves out of the booth with care. However, nothing in the cavernous room was out of place so they quickly made their way to the stairs and back to the catwalk, finding the now-dented flashlight where Boris had dropped it. Picking it up, the wolf gave the switch a try, finding that it still worked with a slight bit of flickering to the light before he turned it off.

However, now there was nowhere left to go but forward, and Bendy pressed a little closer to the taller toon's side as they went through the workshop and to the door of the showroom. It was still the same as Bendy had left it, broken window and abandoned crates and posters aside. Boris looked around at everything, quiet dejection starting to seep into his expression at the sight of the old ink-stained posters and abandoned toys. Bendy couldn't quite shake the dread that was seeping through his frame, eyes turning from one thing to another as though the nightmarish being from before would suddenly make a reappearance. But, even though there was no return performance, the door that Bendy had seen across the room was now open, leading into what seemed like a hallway. Boris allowed himself to be pulled with little to no resistance, but that didn't stop him from passing a sad look around at the empty room before leaving.

The hall went for a few turns, before forking into two paths, in between which was a sign. One pointed to the left, reading 'THE DEMON', the other pointed right reading 'THE ANGEL'. The sight made both stop, staring from both the signs to their respective hallways with mild confusion and trepidation.

"D'ya think they go t'different places?" Bendy murmured aloud, glancing up at Boris to see the wolf's head tilt, ears following the motion as the taller toon squinted at the signs. The wolf looked down at Bendy following his question, giving considering glances to both hallways.

"'m not sure. Maybe we should try both?"

Though Bendy was a little loath to try it, he had to admit that checking both was probably smarter…however…

"Alright, but let's not go that far in. Jus' check t'see if we can tell where its goin'." The devil took another moment before trying to outline a plan. "I'll take the left, you get the right?"

"Sure thing." Boris replied, moving away from Bendy to the indicated door, the smaller toon waiting a moment before moving towards the left hall. He'd barely gotten to it when he heard what sounded like a door slamming shut, and a muffled, familiar yelp.

"Boris?!"

"Bendy!" The wolf's voice was faint, accompanied by banging. Running back out, the devil saw that a door had closed over the entrance to the other hall, presumably with Boris on the other side. Bendy dashed to the door, banging on the metal for a moment before trying to lift it from the bottom. From the clanging coming from the other side, Boris was trying to do the same, but neither was making any headway.

"Boris?" Bendy called through the door. "It's not moving, just keep goin' through. We'll try t'meet up, alright?"

"Okay." The wolf answered back through the door, after which Bendy hurried down to the other hall and tried to rush on through. Tried being the operative word, given than he immediately walked smack into a room that was flooded by ink, with furniture such a drawing desk and a few chairs strewn about. Across the room, staring at him with its usual leering grin, was another cutout.

With a deep, hissing sigh through his teeth, Bendy started to walk through, somewhat relieved that the stuff didn't go past his knees. However, as the smaller toon tried to go on his way with as little grimacing as possible, he caught sight of an ink-stained chair, on which was perched a cassette deck. Despite the fact that the feeling of ink flooding his shoes was more than a little uncomfortable, curiosity beckoned just enough for Bendy to shuffle a little to the left and give the tape a listen.

" _There's nothing wrong with dreaming. Wishing for the impossible is just human nature. That's how I got started. Just a pencil and a dream. We all want everything without having to lift a finger. They say you just have to believe. Belief can make you succeed. Belief can make you rich. Belief can make you powerful. Why with enough belief, you can even cheat death itself. Now that…is a beautiful, and positively silly thought._ "

Bendy stared as the sound cut, eyes aimed in the direction of the tapedeck even as his mind went so much further back. That voice was one he'd been familiar with since the day he was made, and though Joey had been sort of on his mind when coming back here the events of the past while had pushed his creator to the back of Bendy's thoughts. Hearing that speech, with that voice, was starting to bring everything back to the forefront. The times Joey would sit him down with a book to get him to read or talk about this or that with either the studio or something else. Like the time when Joey told him about how there were pictures in the sky, or how people would make up stories regarding just about anything. He'd talked about snippets of all kinds of names, from weird ones like Orion to normalish ones like Arthur. Joey had never really explained very much, apart from saying things like Orion was a great hunter and Arthur was a king, but the way the man had talked about them had lit curious little fires in the toon's mind, and though his questions had gone to Henry eventually, he didn't really remember what the explanation was that the other man had offered. Joey hadn't been bad, really, but…

 _"Now, can I rely on you to behave, or are you going to make me have to turn to other measures Bendy? It's your call."_

Thirty years later and the memory of two jars of colored ink, green and yellow, sitting on a stately wooden desk still pricked at Bendy's memory. He never remembered disagreeing with Joey, his creator had a way of making sense on a lot of things. But the small toon could definitely remember feeling smaller between the pair of colored inkwells, and the quiet, considering stare the studio head had leveled at him from across the desk. Even still, it hit the toon devil like a train that this was the first time he'd heard anything from his creator in thirty years, and after everything he'd come back to-.

Bendy shook his head, sighing and shoving the quiet forlorn thought away into some corner of his mind. He couldn't do this right now, he needed to find Boris. The toon wolf was his main concern.

Joey would, he'd figure out Joey, at a later date. Right now, Boris needed him more, the thought pushing its way higher onto Bendy's mental ledger as he remembered a prone, tall form on a slab, and gasping wheezes of air as eyes stared forward but didn't seem to see anything in front of them. He didn't run, but there was a new quickness to his movements as he went to the end of the room, pulling himself out of the ink and walking onward with the pipe held at the ready. Resolutely ignoring any emotional reaction he might have had at the sight of an oversized image of his face plastered to the wall, Bendy did his best to shake the excess ink off his shoes and legs, heading to a door and hurriedly pulling it open to continue on.

* * *

Boris wanted to move, really, and knew somehow that staying still was a terrible idea even with his current situation, but something about the room he found himself in kept him from simply walking onward. The manner in which everything was set up felt almost, memorial-like. Like if he bumped something over by accident there would be hell to pay from some faceless person who would step out of the shadows at just the wrong moment. It was reminding him uncomfortably of Joey, who always seemed to know when something was going wrong in the studio, and had a very uncanny habit of knowing when something dishonest was happening behind his back. Though, Boris almost wished for something like the book and corner incident now, at least then, things were simpler, he knew where he stood…

…and Joey didn't cut-.

Stop thinking. Please don't think.

Casting about for something to distract his mind, anything to keep from thinking of his creator and all that entailed, Boris caught sight of writing on the far wall, down what looked like a hallway. Shifting so he could properly see, the wolf read slowly, piecing together each letter.

D-R-E-A-M-S, dreams, C-O-M-E, come, T-R-U-E, true.

 **DREAMS COME TRUE.**

Something about the phrase seemed to stir some of those ominous precognitions into a ready whirlwind which sat at the edges of the taller toon's mind, more than ready for him to pay it some attention. Though for the moment Boris simply opted to walk past it, and up to what looked like a couch, bookcase, coat-rack, and an Alice cutout. If it weren't for the presence of a candle, Alice doll, and tape-deck set up on the couch rehammering in the feeling that he shouldn't be in here, it would almost be homey. However, he remembered the recording from Thomas Connor, and curiosity tugged at the wolf just enough to cajole him into pressing the play button.

" _Everything feels like it's coming apart. When I walked into the recording rooms today, Sammy was there with that…Allison. Apparently, I didn't get the memo. Apparently, Alice Angel will now be voiced by Miss Allison Pendle. A part of me died when he said that. There's gotta be a way to fix this_!"

Even in the first few words, Boris had placed the woman speaking. Susie Campbell, a voice actress, one of their best, Sammy had said. But what she was saying, he didn't remember her being replaced, unless it was during those days immediately after Bendy ran away…

Granted, everything had been crazy during those weeks, with Boris meeting Henry at the door only to be regretfully told again and again that no, he hadn't found Bendy yet. The wolf often hadn't slept well, with no news leading into hazy, distracted days. True, he was still down in the music department, but when Bendy'd left he'd stopped talking to everyone down there. Except Sammy, of course, but the music director was usually pretty busy. Maybe he'd seemed more stressed, but the same could have been said of Henry, Alice, himself, heck even Wally's mood seemed to drag with the fate of Bendy up in the air. The only person who carried on as they always had, with no outward change in mood was-.

Boris's shoulders drew in, ears lowering as his tail tucked in at the very thought of the name. Joey. Joey barely changed. Henry did tell him what had happened with Bendy, but from what Boris saw, Joey didn't…care. He didn't go out to look with Henry and occasionally Sammy, didn't change one bit of his routine or behavior, and maybe asked once if Bendy had been found.

Back then, Boris had just figured that maybe Joey was looking in his own way, just doing it on his own and not telling anyone, and continued helping his creator with whatever he asked, and then he'd gone and just-.

The wolf forcibly cut the thought off, drawn back into reality by the fact that one of his hands had come up and fisted itself in the fur on his chest, pulling uncomfortably at the inky strands. A faint wheeze had also started to build in the taller toon's throat, causing Boris to take a moment to just breathe.

He didn't have time for this, standing here. He needed to go and find Bendy. Given how things had gone the last time they'd been separated, the wolf wasn't willing to risk something else happening to the toon devil. He moved on, putting Susie, Joey, and those tumultuous days at the studio out of his mind as he caught sight of a door at the end of the knoll. Though he kept his steps light, Boris hurried to give the knob a firm twist before rushing through, and nearly smacking someone with the door judging from the noise of quickly retreating footsteps in the hall beyond.

For a terrifying moment, Boris had no idea what had made the sound, and his grip tightened on both the flashlight and the doorknob in case he needed to duck back inside. Then he looked down and caught sight of Bendy with his back pressed to a door on the opposite end of the room, pipe upraised as the smaller toon's features twisted in equal fright. Then the pair recognized each other, running from their respective refuges to meet in the middle with dizzyingly happy relief.

"Ben, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t'getcha with the door-."

"Boris, are you-?"

"-why're y'covered in ink?!"

"The room was flooded, nevermind me, are you-?"

It took the pair a few seconds to realize that they were effectively talking over each other, though when the thought occurred to them both toons let off speaking, a twin pair of sheepish smiles taking the place of words for a moment.

"Sorry, Bendy."

"'sokay, Boris. Jus'…" The devil replied, taking a second to steady himself before continuing. "…y'are okay, right?"

"Yeah, it was, well, fine. Nobody was in there. Just…" The hesitation in the wolf's face was enough for some of the earlier light mood to drain from Bendy, the devil trying to read into Boris's expression to see if he could get some hint of what was coming.

"…What did y'see when you were goin' through?" The taller toon asked, the question throwing the devil off for a moment before he found an answer.

"Jus' a lotta ink, desks, some chairs, an'-." Bendy nearly divulged on the presence of the tape deck, and what was on it, before realizing that the recording might create more problems for the both of them and clamped his mouth closed with a click of his teeth.

"Bendy?" Boris asked, both befuddled and a little worried by the sudden silence.

"It's…it's nothin', look, let's keep movin'. We still need t'find a way out." The smaller toon tried to redirect the conversation, even moving down the corridor that the pair had found themselves in just to get away from it. Upon glancing back for a second and noticing that the nervous, worried look hadn't quite slipped off the wolf's muzzle, Bendy slowed his pace. As they rounded the corner, Boris spoke up again, voice more than a little hesitant.

"It's just…nothin' attacked me but I walked into a room that felt like…like J-Joey's office, remember? How he didn't wan' us touchin' the books an' had lit candles everywhere?"

"Yeah, I remember." Bendy murmured back, gaze flicking to another 'Miracle Station' booth as they walked past it. Though questions as to why these things were around were popping up in the devil's mind, his main concern was for Boris. He certainly hadn't missed the way the wolf's voice warbled when saying Joey's name. Guess they were bringing up their missing creator after all…

"E-Except, it had Alice stuff, like a doll, an' a cutout with her on in instead'a you. An' there was one of those, tape decks. It had a message on it from Susie."

"Oh." Was all Bendy could really say to that, his memory of the employees not great enough to be able to pick out any specifics in regards to the name. At the end of the hall was a metallic panel with a light shining at the top, looking somewhat like an electrical box. Still, it wasn't sparking or making noise, so Bendy didn't pay it much thought. The next corner that the pair turned put the somewhat silted conversation on hold for a few moments, as the hallway took a decidedly more eerie turn with the presence of what looked like a cloud of mist hanging in the air. Squinting, Bendy tried to pick out what was beyond it, or if whatever that was would be coming through to meet them.

Near as he could tell, though, there was nothing there but more hall, at the end of which was a closed door. The pair remained silent as they walked through, the change of tone dialing up the tension in their ink-compose frames. Stopping in front of the door, both hesitated before Bendy reached out to the knob, turning it with quiet carefulness as he lightly pushed the door open. The room beyond seemed like a dead end at first, before Bendy noticed what looked like another hallway on the left.

However, as both toons stepped over the threshold of the door, the sudden appearance of a cutout popping out to look around the corner made the tension snap like a frayed rope. Bendy knew he had jumped, and judging from the gasp coming from behind him he was pretty sure Boris had done the same. He didn't dare risk looking away to check, raising the pipe in his hands and cutting a wide arc to look down the hall to see if there was anything else lying in wait for them. The first thing that Bendy discovered was that the 'hall' was a lot shorter than he thought it'd be, the presence of a door making that nervous energy from before build in his frame again. It wasn't helped by the fact that the cutout was just leaning innocently against the wall as though it had never moved to begin with.

"Don' care if y'look like me, I'll smack you with th' pipe. I'll do it." He hissed, taking a few steps closer as he made ready to go through the next door. Bendy could hear Boris's heavier footsteps right behind him, though he still glanced back at the wolf as his hand closed around the knob.

"Right behind you, Bendy." Boris whispered, holding the flashlight like he might throw it at the next thing that tried to jump out at them. Which, Bendy ruminated, was probably a decent plan, given that he knew from experience that the thing could be pretty heavy. Passing a wane grin to the taller toon, the devil faced forward again, and opened the door.

The room beyond was certainly bigger, but the presence of ink splattered liberally over the floors just didn't seem like a good sign no matter how either of them looked at it. The ramshackle shelves seemed slightly less ominous, though Bendy could say for certain that he didn't like how it made it hard to see if there was anyone else in the room. Overall, the place seemed like a storage room for toys, as the presence of Boris, Alice, and Bendy dolls scattered about implied. Albeit, it seemed to split into two ends, with one going off to the left of the door and the other continuing forward. And this was where Bendy was really starting to dislike those shelves again because it was making it hard to see if there was another door about somewhere. It didn't necessarily help that the quiet that the rest of the studio was dominated by had been replaced by the rhythmic ticking of a row of Bendy clocks on the far wall.

"Guess we gotta split up again." The devil remarked, keeping his voice down as he looked back to Boris just in time to see the wolf quietly follow him over the landing, carefully closing the door behind him with a glance to the cutout still against the wall. At Bendy's comment, the taller toon looked up, having not quite heard what was said.

"Huh?"

"We'll need t'split up to look for a door. I can't tell which way we gotta go."

Boris hesitated, expression pinching in what looked like disagreement as his hands clasped the handle of the flashlight with silent pressure.

"I-I don' think…I mean…"

"Alright, pal, we don' gotta split up." Bendy said, cutting the dilemma short. Of course Boris wouldn't want to split up, _look at what ended up happening last time,_ _ **how could you be so stupid**_ **-.**

Biting down on the mental trainwreck before it could continue, the devil tried to flash the wolf a reassuring look, doing his damnedest to smooth over the earlier upset. Not that Boris really showed much of one once Bendy had nixed the idea, the taller frame noticeably relaxing once it became clear they weren't about to run the risk of being separated again. The pair agreed to try the left first, though apart from a bit of hope with an almost corridor, there was nothing really of note. Just more shelves and more toys.

"Y'know, I think this one is about as big as you." Boris suddenly said, pointing out a larger Bendy doll leaning up against the wall. Glancing at the doll in question, the devil gave the wolf an exaggerated pointed stare. Boris's response was to give Bendy an utterly innocent smile back, right before deciding to add to the earlier observation.

"Look, yer practically twins!"

"I know I'm short, Boris, y'don' gotta rub it in." The smaller toon ground out, widow's peak a flat line over his eyes as he stared ahead. His eyes caught sight of what looked like some kind of plumbing thing on the wall as the pair made their way back through to the entrance to the room. Three tubes with a wheel underneath each, and some kind of panel on the wall, the door to which was opened to an empty metallic nook. Each tube was made of glass, though it was so cloudy it was hard to tell if the substance inside was water or ink. Probably the latter, all things considered. There was also a marked dot on each tube at about the middle, which the liquid inside matched in level.

"Hey, Boris, what're those?"

The wolf turned to look, though Bendy could see no dawning comprehension at the sight of the mechanism.

"Uh, not sure, looks like a valve for somethin'…"

"Maybe it broke, an' that's why there's ink everywhere." The devil thought aloud, Boris giving a nod at the observation.

"Maybe."

The pair moved on, finding another door at the end of the toy room past the wall that the clocks were oriented on. Bendy was somewhat relieved to leave the grating noise behind, though the next hall led the pair straight into another problem. It didn't take them long to find another door, albeit this one was closed with what looked like something similar to the mechanism that Bendy had seen before getting into the music department. Thankfully this one was much more obvious than hunting around some rooms for buttons, with cables on the floor leading to a box with a lever, and another set leading off down the hall.

What was occupying Bendy a little bit more at the moment was the presence of an enormous statue sitting at the end of the hall next to the lever box. It was a three-dimensional image in the same likeness of the cutouts, propped up on a pedestal and all lit up just so there could be no mistaking who it was supposed to be depicting. For a moment, all the toon devil could do was stare at the sculpture, a sudden memory of what Sammy had told him reverberating like thunder through his mind.

 _We your servants have long awaited your return…Your sheep, my lord, have long since been awaiting your return, for you to set us free from this prison_ …

And now, with a real, physical monolith to that sitting in front of him, the small devil felt the walls were closing in around him, the harsh freedom of the outside seeming so far away. He could remember the monsters he'd seen, the pleas the half-formed torsos of ink had made to him, Sammy, the thing in the jar, Boris's mangled body, the complete lack of Alice and Henry, the strange gaps in his memory that he'd never noticed somehow, it all rushed back and crashed down, making him feel so small and horribly adrift in this place that was home but wasn't. It was all so horribly wrong, and one way or another, it all came back to him, to this ideal that he was supposed to become no matter how much he dug in his heels.

Lost as he was, Bendy almost didn't notice how Boris too had stopped with the devil, also looking up at the statue with worried incomprehension. However when the wolf looked from the apparent monument to the real-life version standing next to him and noticed the distant, worn, and upset stare the devil was aiming at the statue, a few trickles of ink running down from his brow, Boris immediately reached out to the smaller toon.

"Bendy…?" Boris asked, the devil whirling from the statue to look up at the taller toon. Distantly he noticed the concern forming on the canine muzzle, though it didn't occur to him for a few minutes that it was being made over him.

"Bendy, are you alright?" The wolf murmured, kneeling to be more on the smaller toon's level. More automatically than anything, Boris pulled the devil into a side-hug, downright relieved when Bendy gave a deep breath and let his head rest on the wolf's broad shoulder. After a few moments of silence, the small toon gave a nod, croakily speaking up.

"Yeah, 'm alright." Almost as though he were trying to prove it, Bendy pushed himself upright, pointedly not looking at the statue as his gaze fixed on the cables running along the floor.

"W-We'll need-There's prob'ly another switch down that way. We'll jus'-." Perceptiveness aside, Bendy's attempt at flicking the switch next to them was met with failure, the lever simply sliding back into the off position. Both toons stared at it for a few seconds before Bendy let out a heavy sigh, Boris already having a sneaking suspicion regarding what the devil was going to say right before he said it.

"Think they might need t'be flipped at th' same time. You take this one an' I'll find the other one."

Which meant that Bendy had to go and follow the other cable to wherever that went, taking him down the hall. Though the odd reveries from before still unnerved Boris, he quickly strained to remember if he had any memories pertaining to this area at all that would hint at what to expect. But nothing came to mind, and though part of him wanted to protest, Boris also knew that Bendy likely wanted to be out of this room as quickly as possible. So he simply nodded, going to stand next to the lever.

"I'll yell when I found th' other one, that way we'll both know when t'throw 'em." Bendy offered, walking up the hall with a hurried step. Boris watched him go, before passing a glance back to the grinning statue. Though the cutouts did startle him, they didn't feel quite so big and menacing as this statue did, something about it just setting off an alarm in the wolf's mind. It was a thought that he quickly put on hold, gaze snapping back to the hall beyond as he strained his ears for some signal that Bendy had found the other switch.

Bendy, for his part, had carried on up the hall, coming to a corner and pausing for an instant to take another deep breath. He couldn't think about it right now, it just hit too hard and he needed to be aware of what was going on around them. The devil couldn't let himself get that distracted, couldn't let Boris worry when the wolf already had a lot to carry, didn't need his problems gumming everything up on top of that, otherwise…

 _Boris would be better off without him…_

Peering down the steam-hazed corridor, Bendy caught sight of another poster sitting at the end of the hall, though this one was different from the ones he'd been seeing so far. For starters, this didn't depict him, Boris, or Alice in any way, instead focusing on three different characters, ones that hadn't been brought to life with the rest of them. At least, not as far as he knew.

Following the cables, Bendy came closer to the end of the hall, catching sight of the switch as he let his eyes ghost over the title on the poster; 'The Butcher Gang'. Cheery, and though he had perhaps the vaguest memory of them Bendy couldn't place if the name was accurate or not. Drawing level with the switch, Bendy was just about to reach out to the lever when suddenly something burst through the paper of the poster, startling a scream out of the devil as he flung himself back a few stumbling steps to land on his rear. The light shining above the picture illuminated the thing's face perfectly, and though it was definitely a bit mangled with a stitched-shut eye, Bendy detachedly placed it as one of the characters of the Butcher Gang, the human-looking captain guy from the center of the poster. However, that thought was lost as it dropped down from the wall and pushed itself up to hobble down the corridor after him. Hurriedly the devil scrambled to his feet, raising the pipe out of instinct as it came too close. His first hit did no damage, the shambling wreck merely stumbling back a few feet before hopping forward again, noises like a growling animal pouring from its agape mouth. With a desperate, wild cry, Bendy swung again, his feet automatically carrying him out of grabbing range as the strike hit but nothing happened apart from a brief setback on the patchwork wreck's part. The toon devil's back hit the wall just as he heard a rapid pounding down the corridor to his left, something smashing into the wreck's head as it tried to shamble after him and sending it crashing to the floor.

Nary a second later Bendy felt someone's hands come crashing down onto his shoulders, the sudden contact making him jump and whirl around with the pipe narrowly missing Boris's midsection as it cracked against the wall instead. The sound and impact jarred Bendy back into the moment, helped along by the fact that the wolf had sprung back when he'd nearly been struck, arms upraised with panic still written across his features.

"Bendy, it's okay! It's me, it's Boris!"

It felt like it took too long for Bendy to actually say something to that, though it was some chilled comfort that the first words out of his mouth were a somewhat unsteady ''m sorry', followed by a babbling stream of stuff that the devil didn't really think on, just said in the hopes that something would make the nightmarish situation better.

"I didn' mean to, I did- was stupid, 'm so sorry, I didn' think, 'm sorry-."

"No, no, I'm fine, Bendy. It's okay. A-Are you okay? When I saw-I thought that-." Boris's voice trembled a little on the last few words, Bendy watching as the wolf's arms shifted as though they were gearing up for the motion of a hug, and were seemingly stopped by something that the devil couldn't readily see. The very sight of it caused a brief flutter to take hold in Bendy's chest, his own arms dropping the pipe and reaching out with a jerky motion that seemed to be all the permission that Boris needed. Immediately the wolf knelt, sweeping the smaller toon up into a hug that was both calmingly encompassing and exceedingly gentle at the same time. For a brief few seconds, the familiarity of it was all that was needed for some wall to come down, Bendy practically burying his face in the wolf's shoulder as he squeezed back like the taller toon would simply let go if he didn't.

A sudden squishing sound from behind him made the devil stiffen again, head spinning around just in time to catch the tail end of the patchwork wreck's dissolution into ink, the substance seeming to vanish into the floor under them. The only thing left behind was a metallic object, the flashlight. Boris had come running up the hall when he'd seen what was happening, and had thrown the flashlight at the thing.

Mystery solved, Bendy creakily turned his head back around, perfectly fine with going back to the earlier situation as he both tried to get his breathing under control, and savored the faint, fleeting feeling of safety that the hug provided. Even as a part of him insisted that he should stop, should try to make sure that Boris was alright, _**your fault you stupid idiot you almost hit him with a pipe**_ …

"Boris?" The devil murmured, wanting to be sure but still unwilling to pull away.

"Yeah?"

"Y'sure you're okay?"

"Y'didn't hit me, Bendy. I'm fine." The wolf replied, the calm tone to the deeper voice coupled with the words causing the anxiety from before to unknot in the smaller toon's chest, if only just a little. "Ar-are you okay?"

"'ll be fine." Bendy mumbled after a few moments. "We still gotta flip th' switches…"

"I can do this one." Boris immediately offered, though the devil was already shaking his head, not having forgotten about what lay at the opposite end of the hall.

"No, no I'll be fine. Don' wanna go back with th' statue. Doesn' mean good things…" Didn't make much sense rolling off the tongue like that but Boris only paused for a bit before giving a quiet 'alright' and letting Bendy go.

"There…aren' gonna be more of them?" The wolf asked as he stood back up, the lack of an answer from Bendy causing the taller toon to go for the flashlight again.

"Look if somethin' does come out…I'll start screamin' an' then you'll know I'm in trouble." Though the tail end of the remark had been meant to be funny, Boris wasn't laughing, instead beaming the somewhat flickering light down the hall, and aiming it at the hole that had once been a perfectly good poster. Nothing jumped out at them, but the wolf's ears and tail didn't change from their respective lowered or tucked positions.

"Boris…" Bendy started, some of the careworn heaviness he was feeling seeping into his tone. "…we gotta go. An' we can't leave until we get that door open."

The taller toon finally conceded on that point with a weighty sigh and a nod, turning and heading back down the hall, throwing the occasional glance Bendy's way just in case something were to leap out of the shadows again. The devil, for his part, tried to keep himself looking far more confident than he felt, waiting until Boris was at his respective lever before darting to his own. Flipping the levers went off without another hitch, the sound of the door grinding open cajoling Bendy into a run back down the corridor to meet Boris.

The room beyond looked like some kind of office, the chairs stacked away on a table and a couple of cans of bacon soup sitting on a desk on opposite sides of the room. Bendy half-expected Boris to pick those up, and wasn't disappointed on that score. Catching the somewhat teasing look the devil was giving him, Boris merely pocketed the cans and tried not to let the heat climbing in his face show too much. Still, he didn't walk ahead, opting to stay with Bendy as the devil trekked through the next…well, he wasn't sure he'd call it a room. More of a space, with moving gears and parts present on both sides and ink dripping from the ceiling. Making sure he wasn't about to accidentally clip a gear, Bendy moved through to the opening on the other side, ending up on what looked like some kind of wrap-around pathway leading to some stairs. And at the bottom was a larger room in which sat-.

"Boris!" The devil whispered even though the wolf was practically at his shoulder. Darting to the edge of the railed walkway just to be sure of what he was seeing, Bendy felt a smile break out over his face as he recognized the familiar metal cage. It was the elevator, or at least, an elevator, one that led up into the ceiling.

"What? Wha-?" The taller toon was saying before he drew level with Bendy, pie-cut eyes catching sight of the metal lift cage.

"D'ya think that's th' same lift?" Bendy asked, tail twitching with hopeful excitement as he quickly scanned the rest of the room. Nothing moved, not even a twitch of an inky monstrosity in sight. This was…almost too easy…

"It...It might be, I'm not sure." Boris answered. "We could go check. Maybe it is."

The faint hope carried the pair through the walkway, passing what looked like a pair of bathrooms and another weird plumbing installation before heading down the stairs. It definitely looked like the lift from upstairs, especially up close. Kinda smelled like it too…but the fact that this was here still seemed far too convenient. Finding a button mounted on the side, Boris managed to get the doors open, both toons hesitating for a moment before walking into the metal cage. Catching sight of a sign across the room that spelled out 'LEVEL K' next to another Lil' Angel Station, Bendy was about to check the buttons when suddenly the doors closed, and a voice suddenly started to come through on what seemed like an intercom over their heads.

" _ **You're so interesting…so different…**_ " The speaker was female, the only possibility coming to mind in Bendy's case being…well, the 'Alice' he'd seen before. Was she controlling the elevator?

However, given the devil's last encounter with her he couldn't say if that was something worth celebrating over, especially when it was taking them further away from their way out…!

" _ **I have to say, I'm an instant fan**_." The feminine tones purred as both toons dashed to the button panel on one wall, Bendy's fingers nearly bruising with how hard he was pressing the 'door' button. He was almost a little afraid to go about trying the rest, labeled 'K', 'P', '11', '9', and '14', given that he didn't recognize any of those floor names, the lift had always gone from the music department to the animating department as far as he knew! And if 'K' was first then that had to be the highest this lift could go, right, wasn't that how it worked?

" _ **Looks like you've got a date with an angel**_!" The cheery observation made the pair pause, pie-cut eyes cutting to glance at one another as they both tried to figure out what that meant, neither really wanting to say anything just in case their mysterious speaker could hear them. " _ **Come to me now, level 9. Just follow the screams**_."

Well, alright then if she was going to phrase it like that…

Bendy took a few steps back from the panel, watching as floor after floor slid by with the lift sinking deeper and deeper into the studio, with levels '11' and 'P' rolling past them in short order. The sight of more statues orientated near the elevator stops caused Bendy to shy away from the cage doors. The devil ended up with Boris's leg pressed against his back, though when the smaller toon chanced a glance up, the wolf was peering about as though seeing if he could find where the intercom was, ears back and eyes a little wider than normal. Reaching back, Bendy found the taller toon's unoccupied hand and gave the longer fingers a reassuring squeeze. Boris briefly started at the sudden contact, though he didn't try to move away, even leaning a little over the smaller toon, an arm draping around to almost shield Bendy though the presence of the heavy flashlight made the movement a little awkward. For the moment, the pair simply took what shelter they could in the other's presence, watching as the walls slid by around them.

Eventually though, the lift came to a halt, the metal grating opening up on a walkway with an enormous space beyond.

" _ **Come on, step out of your cage. There's a whole twisted world out here**_." With nowhere else to go, the pair did, feet hesitatingly finding purchase on the wooden floor outside. The walkway was railed, with steps leading down to a large room with a bridge running across a sizeable gap filled with what looked like ink. But what drew both toons' eyes was across the bridge, a huge, statued advertisement of Alice Angel from the torso up holding what looked like a sign in its gloved hands at the top of a wide set of stairs. Immediately both sets of pie-cut eyes turned to stare at each other, a shared question already forming in their minds.

"D-D'you think that's-?" Boris started, Bendy completing the thought.

"Where Alice is?" The devil turned his gaze back out to the monolith, trying to think through both the fear at how the last few minutes had drastically changed their situation, and the promise of seeing their fellow toon after being separated for so long. However, what had happened in the showroom…was she even going to, want to see them? Would she try to attack them?

At the same time, Bendy couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to at least try to see the angel. Maybe things weren't as bad as they had initially seemed, she hadn't seemed to know who he was. Perhaps she just didn't realize, thought he was someone else…

Granted, after what happened with Sammy Bendy wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Still, he had to try. Boris had turned out fine, maybe Alice could end up the same way too.

"Boris?" Bendy suddenly said, pushing back from the railing. The question caused the wolf to jolt a little, turning to look towards the smaller toon with worry clear in his face.

"'m gonna see if I can find Alice. D'you want t'-?"

"No, no I'm coming." Boris interrupted, immediately coming over to the top of the stairs before realizing that Bendy hadn't quite gotten to that point yet and stopped, looking a little sheepishly back at the surprised devil.

"Ah, s-sorry-."

"No, no, by all means." The devil replied, a cheeky if not somewhat wane smile flashing over the pale face as he too moved to take the stairs. In slightly better spirits, the pair descended down to the bottom, Bendy stopping as he caught sight of another tape deck on a shelf pushed off to the side. Boris had to press the button because of how high up it was, though Bendy couldn't help but wince at the gravely, loud voice that seemed to fill the space. Mr. Connor again, sounded like.

" _These blasted elevators…sometimes they open, sometimes they don't…sometimes they come, sometimes they keep on going to Hell and back. I keep telling these people, if Mister Joey Drew keeps cutting corners like this, someone's sure to end up falling to their death. And it sure ain't gonna be me. I'm taking the stairs_."

"Alright, lesson learned. We leave the elevator alone." Bendy murmured as the tape clicked off, an unspoken 'unless we really need it' hanging off the tail end of the second sentence. Then again, the manner in which the lift had simply dropped down to this floor hinted that if they tried to use it, they likely wouldn't be getting very far. They'd probably have more luck finding another way out.

"Alright." Boris murmured, still keeping close to the devil's side as the pair turned to the bridge. As they drew closer to the stairs, Bendy could clearly read the sign the angel statue was holding, the faded letters spelling out 'SHE'S QUITE A GAL'. The devil wasn't sure if that had always been a tagline for Alice when it came to the cartoon, though it did sound familiar for probably that reason.

It seemed to take an eternity for the pair to actually get to the door, the ambiance around them littered with the sounds of rushing ink under the bridge and the creaks of the floor. The sound of the door opening, loud and grating as it was, made Bendy jump and caused Boris's free hand to latch onto the devil's shoulder either to steady the smaller toon or drag him backwards should something fly out at them. But, there was nothing, just an empty hall leading in.

Bendy stared up at the statue overhead, letting his gaze fall to the hallway and taking a deep breath, reaching up to rest a hand on the one still planted on his shoulder. Glancing up, the pair shared a look and a nod, before stepping over the threshold into the hall.

This too was quiet, save for the grind of moving machine parts that occasionally stuck out of the wall, causing the pair to press closer together as they went. There was no sound up ahead that seemed to indicate someone coming to meet them, so apparently they had to go to…Alice, it seemed like. Though the smell of ink was still present, it seemed to grow stronger the further they went, almost like it had when they'd happened upon the flooded room from before. Eventually, the hallway opened up into a large room like the one they'd just left behind, albeit the focus for both Bendy and Boris was less on the room, and more on what was lying strapped to a slab illuminated by an overhead light.

It was practically a mirror image of what Bendy had found upstairs, of Boris in all his ribcage-exposed, eyes crossed out, very much dead glory. The devil felt as though the air had been sucked out of his lungs, frame stiff and tense as his eyes widened though he so desperately did not want to see this. The scent of ink in the air had grown to an overpowering stench, making it seem as though this had been done recently, like Bendy'd arrived just too late to save the wolf.

But, that didn't make any sense because Boris was…

It suddenly struck Bendy that he couldn't feel Boris's hand on his shoulder anymore, the realization coupled with what sat in front of him making him whirl around just in time to see Boris stumble backward with wide, staring eyes as he too looked at his prone doppelganger, the flashlight hitting the floor with a clunk as it fell from the wolf's nerveless hands. Even though the taller toon had already gone as far back as the wall of the hallway, Bendy could already hear the wolf's lungs begin to work overtime in their stressed state, a hand coming up to fist itself in the fur over Boris's chest. The other fumbled for a moment before clenching over the first, shakes starting to vibrate through the tall frame as Boris pressed himself to the wall though he was unable to look away from the horror in front of them.

Immediately Bendy felt some of the tension redirect itself, his legs unlocking enough that he wheeled around back to Boris, almost charging straight to the distressed wolf before remembering what happened the last time he'd startled Boris when he was like this. Still, even as he paused, Bendy knew that he couldn't let up, there had to be something he could do, some way to get Boris to…look away…

"Boris, Boris!" The toon devil shouted at first before remembering their mysterious speaker and quieting down, drawing as close as he could while still giving the wolf space. Bendy jumped up and down, trying to put his waving arms in Boris's view while he continued to talk, keeping the volume at conversation level. "Boris, look at me. Don' look at that, jus'-jus' look at me, please? It's gonna be alright, Boris, but y'need t'listen to me…."

Bendy couldn't help but feel his stomach twist a little at what felt like a bald-faced lie, because there was nothing alright about this. It didn't feel alright, and it probably wasn't going to for a while to come. However, the steady hum of noise didn't seem to be doing the trick, tears starting to trickle down the wolf's face as pie-cut eyes stared distantly ahead. It was almost like Boris was just…beyond reaching, like the very sight had broken something in the taller toon. Albeit, Bendy was hardly about to give up on his pal and, taking a chance, he came closer and clasped the wolf's clenched hands in his own.

The contact did make Boris jolt, eyes slamming shut as a breathy gasp louder than the rest emerged from his lungs. And, as they opened, their line of sight lowered, until Bendy could see them focusing on his face. He tried to put on a smile but couldn't get his features to cooperate, instead the twitching loosened some wetness that had been gathering in the devil's eyes, the tears mixing with the ink that had long-since started running down his face.

Even still, he tried to talk, had to, it was the only thing he could do.

 _ **Your fault…**_

"B-Boris, I'm here, jus' look at me, alright? Don' look at any'a that, don', you're here, I'm here, and i-."

It's alright. The phrase on his tongue but not in his mind, and before Bendy could stop himself the words were switched around and what came out of his mouth instead was-.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Boris, pal, I-I dunno…" I don't know what to do, I don't know how to fix or make this better. But Bendy jolts away from saying that, instead trying to get back on the reassuring tack that actually felt like he had some control over the situation. Like he could maybe pretend for a bit he could make things better for Boris somehow… "I-I gotcha Boris, 'm here, jus' look at me alright?"

For an anxiety-provoking few moments, Bendy couldn't tell if what he was saying, if anything he was doing, was actually helping, before Boris's eyes blinked again, this time looking far more natural as his breathing seemed to make a conscious effort to calm. Sliding down against the wall, Boris let his eyes slide closed again, fingers unclenching from his chest to wrap around Bendy's, tremblingly holding on as though the little devil was his one safety line in this uncertain metaphorical sea. The smaller toon could feel the pounding of the wolf's heart under his fingers, definitely faster than it should be though the fact that it was there at all was a great relief. However, as Boris's eyes started to open again, eyeline drifting from the devil's face, Bendy immediately felt a stab of panic take hold, trying to put his head up a little higher just so there was no chance the wolf could see what lay in the room beyond.

"Boris, Boris, jus'-don' look at that, keep lookin' at me, okay? Eyes here." Shakily Bendy pulled a hand from the huddle, using it to steer the wolf's head down to rest on his shoulder, especially after hearing a reedy sniff and a whine from the taller toon as the canid muzzle twisted in nauseated disgust at the still very prevalent stench of ink in the air. Bendy wasn't sure if his jacket and scarf smelled much better, but at least it was a barrier to the other stinks, and he knew that nose wasn't just for show. Briefly, his memory casted back to a time thirty years ago, when the wolf had a blanket given to him as a gift that he came to use every night. Boris had tried to explain to Bendy why it had been so important, though the explanation boiled down to it 'smelling right', something that had baffled the devil at the time until he'd gotten out in the world and actually saw a dog in action. One of the main things he noticed was how they smelled everything, like it was their way of figuring things out about the world. He almost wished he could share the epiphany he'd had with the wolf, though it…really didn't seem that important now. He just hoped his scarf and coat were a good enough substitute for whatever it was the blanket apparently had.

It did seem to be doing some good, the almost quiet tears and shakes from Boris beginning to ease, the wolf's fingers giving his a gentle squeeze as Bendy carded his other hand through the dark fur on the taller toon's head.

"'m here, Boris, I gotcha." The devil murmured, feeling a relieved smile break across his face when Boris nodded into his shoulder. A faint creak coming from somewhere behind made the smaller toon stiffen, Bendy doing his best to look back without jostling Boris to see where the noise had come from, and finding nothing in sight.

Oh, right they were in a potentially dangerous situation…which was partially what spurred the following out of Bendy's mouth.

"Boris, I want you t'go back out and wait for me by the elevator."

"Wh-What?! No, Bendy, I can't let you just-." The wolf protested as he shakily got to his feet, trying to prove that he was more than ready to keep going. The effect was ruined somewhat when the taller toon's eyes cast up ahead before widening, the wolf's ears lowering as his head bowed with a shaky swallow.

"Boris, no, y'need t'go. I promise I'm comin' right back." The devil replied, pushing at Boris's legs to get him moving back to the entrance. It was definitely a testament to how overwrought Boris was that this method was making some headway.

"B-Bendy, I'm sorry…I can't just, I can't-." Boris started, before something seemed to occur to the taller toon. "Wh-Why don'tcha just come wi' me? We can jus'…go."

"I don't think that's a good idea Boris." The devil replied, his thoughts formulating themselves as they fell out his mouth. "If whoever that is can control the doors an' can see what we're doin'…they might close the doors if it looks like we're gonna leave. An'…I can keep goin', but I don' want you t'haveta go through this. An' actually, here, you can hold onto this for me, alright?"

The latter Bendy punctuated by winding the worn scarf off his neck, pressing it into Boris's still trembling hands. The devil wasn't completely sure how well it would help, but if he couldn't be there to calm the wolf down in person then maybe having something of his might help. Still, even with the scarf clasped securely to his front, Boris was starting to dig in his heels even though a glance back to the room made his ears lower and tail tuck close to his legs again, frame quivering slightly against Bendy's hands.

"I'll be fine. I got the pipe, right? Somethin' tries to do anythin', an' I'll…I'll break their kneecaps 'r somethin'. Nobody's gonna get the drop on me. Jus' go back, alright? I'll be right there in a little bit." Bendy tried, giving Boris one last, light push before letting go completely, taking a few steps back. The wolf looked about ready to turn to go after the smaller toon before Bendy gave a stern frown.

"Go back, Boris. Go on. Please." And, though some part of the devil hated to play this card, when Boris refused to move the words simply tumbled out of his mouth. "You trust me, right?"

"Yeah." The wolf answered, face pinching as his eyes turned towards the ground. However, the taller toon looked back to the devil's face, a determination seeping through the wolf's pie-cut eyes. "If you don' come out in ten minutes, 'm comin' in after you."

"Fair enough for me." Bendy's reply felt a little choked, though he still gave Boris a small smile before turning and continuing onward before the wolf could stop him. Though he heard what sounded like a gasp, Bendy didn't catch any sign that Boris was trying to follow, something that spurred him past the macabre display they'd run into and to a gap in the railings. A plank led off over the ink, connecting to another by resting on a barrel, the same arrangement seeming to go across the pool. Bendy swallowed, both because he couldn't shake the thought that he really, really didn't want to fall into that mess, and because the dead body was far from the only one in the room. The entire place seemed to be one grisly catalogue of dead toons, either strapped to boards, lying in the ink, and a few cases of some dangling from the ceiling, some of Boris, others looked to be characters from the Butcher Gang. He caught sight of some that looked like the one that had chased him in the hall, and others lying strapped to other slabs, really only glancing at them so he wouldn't lose his nerve. The idea that Alice could be up ahead, the angel in some sort of trouble, spurred him on. A crackle of static was Bendy's only warning before whoever had been speaking before started talking again, voice disturbingly calm considering what was strewn around him.

 _"_ _ **Look around. It took so many of them to make me so beautiful. Anything less than perfect was left behind**_ _."_ It was the same female speaker, the one in the elevator. What she was implying turned Bendy's ink cold, causing him to go a little faster over the bridging planks, a sudden image flashing through his mind's eye of Alice in the same position as Boris, eyes silent and still with her chest pried open…

And still whoever it was kept talking, though what she said next made very little sense to the devil.

" _ **I had to do it. She made me**_."

"Who is 'she'?" Bendy mouthed, glancing back just to make doubly sure that Boris had not followed, and also that the door was still open. Hopefully the wolf had gone, though the very thought of Boris made something slide into place in Bendy's mind.

The picture in the safehouse, the weird collage of Boris's poster. Did the person who made it mean this? That Boris was broken into 'pieces', or copies of himself? And put back together…

The question was, why would someone do it in the first place? Had Joey not been the one to hurt Boris? Though that didn't make sense with how the wolf reacted to the studio head's very name so likely Joey had at least been involved…

Bendy stopped, realizing he'd walked straight past a juncture in the planks without noticing. One path lead to a closed metal door on the other side of the room, clearly where he was meant to go. The other path lead off to a little spot with a shelf and a desk, on which the devil could make out a cassette deck coupled with what looked like a doll of Alice.

Taking a brief chance with the thought that maybe the recording could give him some hint as to what he was dealing with, Bendy hurriedly shuffled across to the desk, quickly hitting the play button to start the tape.

" _Who would've thought? Me having lunch with Joey Drew! Apparently times are tougher than I thought. For a moment there, I thought I'd be stuck with the check. But I gotta say, he wasn't at all what I expected. Quite the charmer. He even called me Alice. I liked it_."

The last line curdled Bendy's ink, making his face crinkle into a frown. That was, Susie, right? Cause if that was the case, he really didn't like what she was saying regarding Alice. Sure, they were cartoons, but…they were alive. They were real. What Susie was implying, or whatever satisfaction she was gleaning from what could have been a mistake on Joey's part, seemed very very wrong to the devil.

Was this part of the reason why Alice was…like this? Did they do something to her?

 _And you weren't there to stop it_ , _you weren't there to protect them_ ….

Swallowing heavily, Bendy turned back to the plank bridge just in time to see the door open into another hallway. Looking back just to check that Boris still wasn't trying to follow, Bendy did his best to square his shoulders before taking step after step forward, feeling like the world was moving him along at far faster a pace than he was comfortable with. On the far wall of the hallway, a poster for Alice Angel's debut episode sat, just like the one he'd seen in the music department. Right next to it stood a cutout of the angel, Bendy's eyes lingering on it for a moment as he came round the corner, and locked sight with something down the hall. At first, he couldn't identify what was happening down the corridor, only able to make out what seemed like a tall, dark, sort of familiar figure standing next to a raised panel, with a slab to the left, and something strapped to it. A hand came up to wipe at his face and eyes, maybe it would help him figure out exactly what he was looking at, but he still couldn't quite make out any specifics. Taking one step forward, and then another, Bendy could also hear what sounded like…crackling? Zapping? Almost like a downed wire before the electricity was cut. Though it seemed to take an eternity, a few moments later the devil was crossing the threshold to the other room, making out more details the closer he came. The scene in front of him looked to be on the other side of a window of some sort, the figure stuck to the slab appearing to be the same, or at least one very much like, the thing that had tried to get him back in the hallway with the poster.

And the figure standing next to the panel, well, the devil kept staring but he wasn't sure if he could be entirely certain of what he was seeing. It was the same Alice that he'd seen before in the showroom, the one who'd shouted her name at him and broke the glass in the fake television set. It was as how he had described, statue-like but melted all on one side, with the added detail of her halo seemingly stuck in her head. The panel she was standing next to, Bendy figured with a cold snap, looked to be part of some sort of electrical system and what they were being used for was the patchwork toon strapped to the table. The zapping, crackling noise was electricity being funneled through the warped frame, the Butcher Gang character giving off little snarls and wheezes, thrashing in what looked like pain as it was being shocked, not enough to kill, but definitely more than enough to hurt.

But what made Bendy's stomach drop was the fact that while she hadn't stopped shocking the mismatched toon-monster to death, her head was facing in his direction, with a solitary, yellow eye staring right at him. The expression on her face was hard to read, that fact alone making Bendy want to skitter back towards the door, though when his back touched cold metal instead of open space the devil knew that was no longer an option.

"A-Alice…?" The name slipped out of Bendy's mouth before he really could think on what he was saying, unable to rectify this nightmare in front of him with the memory he had of the angel. The one who accepted his apology when he was being a complete jerk, the one who could keep up with him while dancing and wasn't too tall, even commiserated with him when the other workers at the studio took to making teasing jokes regarding the love-birds status the pair had in the cartoons which they'd both found creepy and uncomfortable. This couldn't be Alice, because if it was, then she'd been the one responsible for the sordid scene he'd just left behind, for killing Boris over and over and over-.

And now he was locked in the room with her. Bendy would have laughed at his dashed attempt to play the hero to the younger toon if this wasn't horrifically terrifying and psychologically scarring.

However, something in the warped angel's face seemed to loosen at the sound of the stammered name, and she released something on the panel that caused the electricity running through the room to stop. Though Bendy was somewhat glad for this, he couldn't tell if the patchwork toon on the table was even alive, or just unconscious the way it slumped back. However, if he were to strain his nose enough the little devil could definitely make out the smell of something burning.

" _ **Hello, Bendy…**_ " The angel spoke, her voice a layered menagerie of sounds that had the tension running through the small toon flail a little with uncertainty. It sounded a mix of strangely warped and at the same time, human, feminine particularly. He did inch away from the door a little, though the pipe he still kept upraised more out of reflex than any desire to use it. She…she looked too much like Alice, and after what had happened in that hallway with Boris, the devil didn't think he had it in him to hit her. Albeit, a somewhat darker voice in the back of his head wondered if he would be forced to if she tried coming after him. It wasn't like he could run…

" _ **Hm. Now we come to the question…Do I kill you? Do I tear you apart to my heart's delight? The choices of the beautiful are unbearable. How's a girl to choose?**_ " The warped angel broke off her introspection with a giggle, though Bendy couldn't think of a less-funny situation. Well, if he wasn't sure that Alice had been responsible for the horror show back in the other room, then this focus on beauty stated from her own mouth pretty much cinched it.

 _ **"Take this little freak for instance!"**_ Alice suddenly barked, head jerking towards the still Butcher Gang character with a predatorily accusing air. Bendy jumped at the sudden snap in her voice, trying to pay careful attention to what the angel was saying just in case it heralded the conversation taking a turn for the worse, even as it already made his stomach churn with terror. _**"He crawled in here…trailing his tainted ink to my door!**_ "

Bendy became uncomfortably aware of ink dribbling down from his brow, caught between both wanting to wipe it away and keeping his hands where they were so as not to draw attention to the loose liquid.

" _ **It could have touched me, it could have pulled me**_ **back**!" Alice said, leaning over the panel as her voice abruptly leaped from the smoother, older tones to that of the one that was so familiar to Bendy, the voice that Alice had as he remembered her. It was enough to pull the devil a little closer as his mind raced. Was Alice…in there, in some way? Looking up from the panel, she continued to speak, using that same voice…

" **Do you know what it's like? Living in the dark puddles?** " Alice asked, to which Bendy had no answer. Not that she seemed to expect one, voice dropping back into the older, human tones as she continued. " _ **It's a buzzing, screaming well of voices**_!"

Bringing a hand up to her mouth, the singular eye seemed to stare off into some other place, some other time, rather than at the panel in front of her.

" **Bits of your mind, swimming…like…like fish in a bowl**!" She said in Alice's voice again, the panicky, disorientated tone bringing Bendy a little closer, the pipe in his hands lowering as despite his wariness, despite the terror of being in the same room as the person who murdered his best pal. It…it sounded like Alice, and if this happened after he left, after he left the both of them behind for someone to do god-knows-what…he felt responsible, he had to at least try to reach out to the angel. He had to see if she was still there.

 _ **Your fault…**_

" _ **The first time I was born from its inky womb, I was a wiggling, pussing, shapeless slug. The second time, well…**_ " Alice hissed, the words crashing over Bendy's ears though it took him a moment to register what was being said. The first time…? But Alice was made before he left, and as far as the devil knew, she hadn't come out the least bit wrong…Joey had said she was perfect, which rankled him at the time until he and Alice had managed to resolve their initial bad start…

" **It made me an angel**!" She finished, the shift in tone causing Bendy to jump a little as his mind worked overtime trying to sort through the information he was being given. Alice had been made before he left, had come out fine, but she was saying that it took two tries, and from the sounds of things this had happened after things had…gone wrong. The devil suddenly recalled the recording he'd found outside of the hallway leading in here, the one with Susie talking about eating with Joey and being called…

All at once, a new possibility crashed through Bendy's mind like a trainwreck. Though if he was right, then he might be in worse trouble because then…

" **I will not let it, touch me again. I'm so close now, so almost perfect.** **And now** _ **…you come to my door, Bendy**_." Alice, if that was even who she was really, suddenly said, the mention of the smaller toon's name causing him to jump along with the sudden change in the warped angel's voice. Whatever anxious trance she'd been in, she'd managed to pull herself out of with the vocal shift, and that one, yellow eye was staring right at him again. The empty, almost skull-like look to the other half of her face hardly helped, but the fact that she didn't seem to need to blink, that was unnerving enough along with the calm tone she'd suddenly taken on.

"I-I don't want any trouble." Bendy started, the few seconds of tense quiet following the shift in the one-sided conversation. "I ju-I jus' wanna leave this place. I don' wanna stay here."

That was all the devil felt able to force out of his suddenly very dry throat, feeling a trembling starting to make its way up his arms as his mind jumped ahead. He'd come in here to save Alice, only to find that she either wasn't there to begin with or so far gone that there was nothing even left of who she used to be. Not to mention, from what she was saying, he could easily count as one of those things trailing 'tainted ink' into her domain. Trying not to eye the slab that the silent mismatched toon was still strapped to, Bendy opted to keep talking. It hadn't necessarily worked for Sammy, but it seemed to be the only thing that the toon devil was able to do.

"T-Trust me, th' last thing I wanna be is underfoot right now, so really you got nothin' to worry about. You let me leave, an' I'll be outta here like a shot, no questions asked. 'Sides we all know how well angels and demons get along, an' I think we're both a bit too busy t'be distracted by somethin' like that. So, Alice…" It felt so wrong saying that name when it was becoming more and more apparent it didn't fit, but if he wanted to get out of here intact, Bendy knew he definitely needed to, at the very least, tell her what she wanted to hear. Besides, it wasn't like he was lying about wanting to leave…

"…y'can make a mess of me in here, 'cause you know how much I drip when I'm stressed, or y'can let me leave."

At first Bendy couldn't tell if anything he was saying was getting through, if he wasn't three seconds away from a grisly demise, but the bright-yellow stare eventually dimmed as 'Alice's' gaze turning back to the panel for a moment in seeming thought.

" _ **Yes**_." She hummed after a few minutes had passed. " _ **I will spare you. For now. Better yet…I'll even let you ascend and leave this place. If you will do a few eensey weensey little favors for me first**_."

Bendy's first thought, of course, was of what kind of favors the warped angel would want him doing, the mock wheedling tone she was using definitely not helping that matter given that he was fairly certain he was not supposed to refuse. Thinking of Boris outside though, who was probably waiting anxiously for the devil to come back and now that Bendy thought about it he definitely didn't want the wolf and the angel meeting, the small toon gave a quiet nod and managed to kick his voice into something workable to give a more audible reply.

"…Alright."

" _ **Then return to the lift, my little errand boy. We have work to do**_!" And with that, the warped angel pressed a button on the panel, causing shutters to drop down to cover the window just as the sound of the Butcher Gang toon being violently electrocuted started to fill the room once more. And now Bendy could definitely smell something burning, maybe hair…or perhaps fur…

The toon devil lurched away from the source of the smell, whirling around just in time to see the door behind him open, letting his body move on autopilot through the hallway and back out to the ink-flooded room. Even though one of Bendy's hands was occupied by the pipe, he still tried to cover his ears, anything to block out the sounds of electricity crackling through the air as something that was almost like him writhed in pain. Stopping right in front of the plank bridge, Bendy tried to take a moment to collect himself, though he could only calm down so much before the image of Boris strapped to a table, having the life shocked out of him before being cut open, flashed in his mind's eye.

He had to get out of here. He needed to get out.

Retaining just enough caution to not try running, Bendy started to make his way across the planks, catching sight of another member of the Butcher Gang lying faceup in the ink, this one almost looking like him if it wasn't for the toony, stitched-shut lips, its eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. What made the devil's stomach give a nauseating flip was the fact that one of the pie-cut eyes was replaced with a normal eyeball. He tried to look away from that but the next thing to come into view was another slab, with a silent, mangled body of Boris strapped to it. Looking in the opposite direction just made Bendy see the desk, with the tape-deck containing Susie's recording still in it. The one where she seemed to think of Alice more as an ideal, and not an actual toon running around the studio with him and Boris.

The collaged image from the safehouse immediately flashed through Bendy's mind, the one of Alice being obscured with ink. Had Susie seen her as competition? Had she actually…?

The thought made Bendy flinch, hunching downward with an arm folding over his stomach as though to stop his insides from squirming through sheer willpower alone, more ink beginning to run in rivets around his eyes. Even still, the devil couldn't help but think about how deep the ink was in this room, wondering if there were other copies of Boris submerged in the murky darkness under his feet.

Maybe that was where Susie had thrown Alice, after she'd…

Bendy felt a gasp rattle its way through his lungs, the air in the room suddenly not enough for him to breathe, though he'd been doing fine before even with the fumes. Even with his legs suddenly feeling like jelly, the devil simply…sunk inward, blocking out the thoughts, sights, and smells of what was around him, and worked on putting one foot in front of the other. He had to get out first. Once he got out, he could see Boris, and things would be better.

Just keep walking, don't look, don't smell, and don't think. Boris is waiting for you, you gonna let him down? Just keep putting one foot in front of the other…

* * *

(Jump to second paragraph if you want to know what the heck the thing was I wanted your opinion on. I just got rambly as all hell.)

Alright, and trust me, I'm going to get the second part up as quickly as I can. I'd say it's about 60-70% of the way done, at 23,348 words not counting the parts I jumped ahead to write, and after that I'd just need to give it a good editing sweep. Only fly in the ointment is I'm going to be out of the country next week and I'm not sure if where I'm going has a connection to the Net. I've also been keeping busy IRL, between work and, well, big news is I've been working on a short story, which I completed a while ago and someone sent me word of a writing contest they thought my work would be a good fit for. I already got the editing and submitting part of that done, made sure everything was all good paperwork-wise, so right now the only things on my list of 'things to get done by the end of the month' are the next chapter and a gift-piece that must be done before Christmas otherwise I will have shamed my inner sense of responsibility.

And now that that ramble is out of the way, I was thinking of doing a kind of event thing on my tumblr, which is nemo-draco dot tumblr dot com. Basically a kind of Q&A for the characters, not canon to the story or anything but I haven't really done anything like it before and I was thinking maybe I'd keep the ask box open for 5 days to a week and respond IC-ly in written form, and yes you can ask anonymously too! I generally have figured everything out, just want to see if there's any interest from anyone.

Thank you all very much!


	6. Ch5: Shut Eye

A/N: And here's the last of the edits. This one's mostly the same, some tweaks, added scenes, the works. And, for everyone that's reading, thank you so much. Just glad to know I can make someone's day a little lighter (I say as I write what is basically becoming my kinda-sorta first Lovecraftian Horror story, oh boy.).

Enjoy, all!

* * *

Shut Eye:

The panic from before had long since ebbed, but that didn't mean that Boris wasn't still wound tight as a drum. The wolf had hunkered down in the space next to the elevator, fingers clenched in the fabric of Bendy's scarf which he'd wrapped around his neck as he rested his head on his knees. His ears were perked up, listening in case something were to come along, though the taller toon's mind was a swamped wreck.

He felt awful, and not just from what he'd seen in the other room. How could he let Bendy go on his own like that? Sure, the devil was clever, but what if something happened, what if something actually got the drop on the smaller toon, and what if Bendy ended up getting hurt or god-forbid, dead? And Boris wouldn't know, and couldn't do anything about it because he was sitting out here, because he was…stupid, and worthless, and a horrible coward, and **broken-**.

" _ **My machines are hungry. Gather me some spare parts!**_ "

The sharp bark of a voice over the intercom made Boris jump, the wolf only just managing to suppress a yelp of fright by pressing the scarf to his muzzle. It took him a moment to realize that the snapped order had not been indicating him, though if it hadn't then...

Boris hurried to the railing and looked over. The burgeoning desperation vanished as he saw Bendy making his way across, very much alive and seemingly unhurt. The wolf absently noted the fact that the devil was dragging along a heavy-looking wrench with the pipe.

At the movement from the top of the stairs, Bendy's head snapped to look. Boris waved, a relieved smile falling into place on his muzzle. A similar look flashed over the devil's face, before the pale features abruptly twisted as a gloved hand came up to cover his mouth, dropping both the pipe and the wrench. Stumbling on unsteady legs Bendy managed to totter to the edge of the bridge before losing his lunch, grabbing onto one of the supports so as not to pitch too far forward. The instant the smaller toon started showing signs of distress Boris had hurtled down the stairs, quickly coming to crash into a kneel next to Bendy. The devil had already emptied his stomach over the side, though he still huddled with his arms wrapped around the wooden stake, frame shaking a little as he tried to take deep breaths. Boris hesitated for a moment before rubbing circles into Bendy's shoulder blades, whispering to the smaller toon as he glanced between the little devil and the angel's lair.

"Bendy, it's alright, it's me. Can you stand?"

The answer to Boris's question certainly wasn't encouraging, the small toon dry heaving as his distressed systems tried to do something to alleviate the horrified tension coursing through them. Still the wolf would hardly leave Bendy to deal with it alone no matter what lay just a few yards away, so he stayed kneading at the coat's material.

 _"_ _ **There are so few rules to our world now. So little truths**_ _."_ The speakers suddenly rang out from across the bridge, the very sound of the 'angel's' voice causing both toons to flinch and press closer together. Even still, 'Alice' was not done.

 _"_ _ **But there is one rule we all know and respect down here. Beware the ink that walks the halls. Stay out in the open for too long and it will find you. For if you see it, you'd better hide. If you don't, well, I enjoyed our date. Now, let us begin our work.**_ _"_

If that wasn't a good sign to move on, neither toon could tell you what was. Though Bendy was able to push himself up and grab the wrench and pipe, Boris still steered the devil the rest of the way across and up the stairs, a hand on his shoulder since the smaller toon's hands were both occupied. Avoiding the elevator, the pair went through the door, and were both startled by an inky monster springing forth from the floor. Bendy automatically swung with the wrench, the heavy hit to the globby frame making the monster dissipate in a splatter of ink.

"B…Boris, I need t'tell you somethin'." Bendy rasped out through a worn throat.

"Wh-What? What is it?" The wolf asked, the tone of the devil's declaration unnerving him along with everything else that had happened in the past hour alone. Albeit, Boris's concern for Bendy overrode the anxiety, spurring him to speech.

"Bendy, we can take a break for a few minutes if'n y'need to. Y'still have the ink, right?"

"Boris, we don' got time for…" The devil hissed, right before the hoarseness of his voice seemed to actually register enough to drive the smaller toon to quiet. Albeit Bendy still had one stipulation in regards to stopping.

"Not here. You heard her, we can't stay out in th' open."

"Alright, alright," Boris whispered, the wolf turning to look at a staircase to the right. Keeping a hand on Bendy's shoulder, the taller toon steered the devil to the stairs, Bendy easily falling into step with the wolf. The pair ascended, going a little faster when they found that the steps didn't really creak. This almost had them running into another inky figure on the landing, which Boris completely panicked and threw the flashlight at. The heavy metal casing went right through the lanky, half-formed frame, and crashed to the floor. The noise caused the pair to jump, Bendy immediately hooking one of his arms around Boris's wrist and hurrying up the next flight. In a moderately controlled panic, the pair rushed past another monster, up the next set of stairs.

As they came to the landing, Boris half-remembered something about this floor, pushing Bendy down a hall on the other side of the staircase. At the end was a door, the wolf easily nudging it open. The room beyond Bendy glanced at, noticing what looked like booths with glass windows, and more writing on the walls. This one though, well, he couldn't tell if it made him want to laugh or melt a little more in fear and sympathetic misery.

 **I DON'T WANT TO WORK HERE ANYMORE**

Especially with the trailing ink leading down to the floor, looking like whoever had written it had dragged their hand down when they were finished writing, made the devil wonder if this was the last gasp of someone's sanity, before…

Bendy wasn't sure he wanted to continue that thought, especially when both he and Boris caught sight of things moving around in the glass-encased rooms. Thankfully, the wolf had spotted another Lil' Miracle Station on a raised platform across the way.

The pair hurried in and tried to close the door behind them as quietly as possible while Bendy let their makeshift weapons rest on the bench. For what seemed like an eternity they stayed silent, listening just in case something was about to meander into earshot. Bendy waited more for the wolf's ears to lower from their alert perch, his head resting against the taller toon's chest. He could hear Boris's heartbeat against his ear, choosing to focus on that instead of…

… _still and limp, ribcages dully gleaming in the flickering light, but perhaps if he focused he could smell the faint odor of burnt fur under the stench of ink, too late too late_ _**yourfaultyourfault**_ …

"…Bendy?" Even the faint, whispered tone caused the devil to jump, glancing up to see Boris staring down at him. Despite the faint light afforded through the slot in the door, Bendy could still make out a worried frown creasing the canine muzzle. Swallowing down the emotions that still broiled in his mind, the toon devil did his best to slap on a reassuring smile.

"Y-Yeah, Boris?"

The wolf opened his mouth, but seemed to change his mind about what he was going to say about halfway through.

"Y'maybe want t'try drinkin' some ink now? You still don' sound that great."

Bendy almost wanted to refuse, strange as it was given that he'd just upchucked everything in his stomach, he probably wasn't going to be able to go hunting for machine parts if he didn't at least try to get something in him. As he reached into his pocket and unwrapped the little inkwell from the cloth he couldn't help but give a sick grimace at the sight of the black liquid swirling about within. Still, the devil uncapped the top and tried to take as little as possible without draining the whole glass, or really tasting the ink itself. After putting the bottle away, Bendy let himself slump, barely protesting as Boris drew the devil's smaller frame into his lap so Bendy wouldn't end up falling off the bench or into the door. Bendy's eyes fluttered, Boris's heartbeat reverberating through one side of his head as he did his best not to think-.

-Bendy peered around the desk at the tall figure, ducking back as the other toon's pie-cut eyes met his. He really wasn't sure what to think when Joey had told him to come into his office. Sure, the studio head had apologized for not coming to get him from the closet, though Henry still seemed upset and it didn't look like things were going to be resolved now. Not while there was still the presence of the new toon for Bendy to meet.

"Joey, are you sure-?" Henry asked from off to the side, only to be stopped by a quick 'shh' from the studio head. Either way, Bendy put it aside and opted to get a closer look at the other toon. He could recognize the other's face, he'd seen plenty of pictures of Boris the Wolf plastered to the walls of the studio, and Henry had showed Bendy a drawing of Boris when the devil was first made. The animator had asked the small toon if he knew who it was, and while Bendy hadn't known at the time he certainly became acquainted with at least the image of the wolf during the few months he'd been around. Still, it didn't quite prepare him for the three-dimensional, very much alive version peering cautiously around the desk. Boris really was so much bigger than him, the observation keeping Bendy hopefully far out of grabbing range until he could decide what to do.

Not that Boris himself seemed particularly inclined to try snatching up the devil, keeping the majority of himself back behind the desk as only his head and a few fingers were visible. Bendy noticed that the other toon's pie-cut eyes were wide, the longer ears back, which made the head and face of the wolf look smaller.

Maybe Boris was a little scared…though, Bendy had an idea. The little devil reached out with a small, gloved hand, fingers splayed and the palm facing up at the ceiling. At first Boris didn't seem to know what to do with the gesture, and Bendy was left standing there a little awkwardly as he kept his hand outstretched. But then the wolf reached around the corner, placing his long-fingered hand over the devil's with a surprising amount of gentleness in the motion. Even still the heavier limb made the smaller hand drop a little with the weight, causing Boris to take his own hand away with a gasp. The noise made Bendy stop, behorned head tilting in thought. It seemed so odd that Boris was afraid or even the least bit worried. He was so much bigger than Bendy! What did he have to worry about?

Though now that Bendy thought about it, while Boris was bigger and stronger than him it didn't mean that things were safer for the wolf. A lot of people could probably hurt him if they ganged up, and because the taller toon was so new he probably didn't know a whole lot yet, kind of like how Bendy had had to learn about everything living-wise at first. Taking a hesitant step forward, Bendy quietly reached out to take the wolf's hand again, holding it from the pinkie-side, the back facing up with his small thumb resting on top. The devil mimicked a gesture that Joey had done when he'd first been created, letting his thumb rub across what he could reach of Boris's knuckles. The motions seemed to calm the wolf, the taller frame slowly inching out from behind the desk. Bendy paused for a moment at the sight of the overalls, his other hand snaking out to paw at the material, feeling out what he could of the tougher texture.

Though Boris stiffened at the sudden movement, the small hand feeling at the strap cajoled him into reaching out for Bendy's bowtie, long fingers carefully touching the softer, smoother material. A little bit more emboldened, the devil reached out for the wolf's long ears, rubbing a thumb and forefinger against the fuzzy appendage which twitched at the touch. The quick, jerky movement caused Bendy to withdraw his hand, though Boris didn't look too bothered. Maybe it was a reflex…

The wolf himself had reached out to the devil's head, fingers cautiously running over the pointed little horns. However, as the taller toon peered at Bendy's face, his muzzle pulled in a frown.

"…Where's your nose?" Boris murmured, more to himself than for the devil to answer. though Bendy found himself doing so anyway.

"'s right here. See?" The smaller hands steered one of the wolf's to sort of knuckle the front of Bendy's face, Boris's ears perking up as he felt small puffs of air against the top of his hand.

"But, how d'ya smell?" The taller toon asked, his unoccupied hand pointing to his own prominent nose.

"We-ell, I think I smell fine." The devil quipped back, a faint shadow of a cheeky grin slipping onto his face which grew to a full one when Boris caught the joke and gave a deep chuckle. A faint smile also showed though Bendy noted that the wolf's teeth were much more pointed than his.

"Bendy." Henry abruptly started, making both toons jump and look up. They'd completely forgotten that the two men were even in the room. Joey did pass Henry a hard glare at the interruption, though before he could say anything, the animator continued.

"Maybe you should, introduce yourselves?"

"Ah, of course," the studio head murmured before jumping in. "Bendy, why don't you do it first, that way you can show Boris how it's done?"

"Uh, alright…" The devil haltingly replied, turning back to Boris with complete uncertainty in his eyes for a moment before giving a shake of his head and trying to slap on a smile.

"Hey, my name's Bendy, B-Bendy th'…" The small toon stumbled a little over whether or not to have the adage, though reneged a moment later. "Bendy th' dancin' demon! It's nice t'meet you!"

"'m Boris." The wolf said, softly at first though a small, meaningful cough from Joey provoked a louder repetition. "I'm Boris!"

The taller toon himself was a little startled by how loud he had gotten, ears dropping low as his hands tensed. When he spoke again, it was much quieter.

"S-Sorry, nice t'meet you."

"It's okay. Nice to meetcha too." Bendy whispered back, absently noting the fact that his tail had started to give a few contented flicks as something black and bushy-looking kept moving back and forth behind Boris. The wolf caught the small devil trying to peer around him, and the strange shape abruptly swept into view. It was a tail, or at least it seemed to be, though it was much bigger than the little devil's long and thin one. Speaking of which, Bendy could just see the spaded tip of his tail flicking in and out of the corner of his eye, and judging from the way Boris's pie-cut eyes had focused there, the wolf had noticed it too.

For a moment, it was almost a game, each tail disappearing and reappearing like clockwork as the pair grew more and more charmed by the similarity, right before another forceful cough from behind made them jump and look up at Joey.

"Sorry to interrupt you boys, but Henry and I need to have a talk about something. Maybe the both of you can wait outside? Won't take a moment, promise."

The tone was casual, even nice, but Bendy couldn't help but tense a little at the words. The fiasco that had been that morning had not left his mind, even if Joey leaving him in the closet seemed to have been an honest mistake. Not to mention the devil certainly didn't want Henry getting in trouble for him, but at Bendy's anxious glance his way the animator gave a calm, even smile.

"It's alright, Bendy. Just wait outside with Boris. If anyone asks, tell them that Joey will be explaining things soon."-

-Bendy shifted with a groggy murmur, sleep fading as he foggily opened his eyes to stare at the old wood of the booth's door. For a moment, the aftereffects of slumber had driven away any residual tension, though a quick review of how he'd ended up in this situation had the little devil fidgeting with more urgency. How long had he been asleep, what if 'Alice' would try to find them, what if something else did-?

"Bendy, Bendy, it's alright, calm down, you're okay-."

"'s not…" The smaller toon slurred though he did stop moving, slumping more than relaxing into the makeshift bed that Boris had made out of his arms. "Y'were…s'pposed t'wake me up, Bor's, we gotta…get th' stuff so we c'n get outta here…"

"We will, when you're ready." The wolf replied, the deeper tones brooking no debate on that matter. "Also, you…"

"I what?" Bendy asked, a little confused by Boris trailing off. The taller toon seemed to waffle with his thoughts before working up his nerve.

"Y'were…gonna tell me somethin', y'said. But it can wait. I don't mind."

He was gonna tell Boris something? For a few minutes Bendy wracked his still-somewhat hazy brain for an answer regarding that bit of information, and something did start to come to light.

"…No, it's alright. We can talk now." Though that left the devil with the somewhat awkward position of figuring out where to begin, how to put everything that he'd experienced and conjectured into words that wouldn't completely upset, overwhelm, or terrify Boris. Was there any way to even…not do that with this kind of thing?

"I…" Bendy started, voice warbling a little before he managed to get something out of his muddled thoughts. Something that he at least felt he could work with. "…I talked to…I talked to Al-Alice. When I was in there. She's…I don't think she's…Alice, not our Alice. She talked about, how she'd been…made twice? Talked about puddles, an' how she…became what she is th' second time she was…made."

The devil glanced up at Boris. Though the wolf didn't look like he understood everything, hell Bendy would have a hard time understanding this if someone was explaining it to him, the taller toon seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Bendy almost wanted to say something about how she sometimes sounded like Alice, the real Alice, and how she electrocuted her victims before cutting them open, probably shocked his pal, the one who's lap he was currently sitting in, to death. But even putting that to voice sounded like a gateway to hysteria so Bendy mentally clamped those thoughts off before they could run to his mouth.

"She said she'll let us, or me at least, leave. W-I've gotta get things for her first."

"I don't think she's gonna…" Boris started, only to falter when Bendy looked up at him.

"Boris, seriously, if y'have any ideas on how t'deal with her, I'm all ears. I just, I dunno who else t'turn to. No one down here's gonna help us, she's…I know she's bad, but she's all we've got an'…" Bendy trailed off as something occurred to him, and the words were tumbling from his mouth before he could stop. "I'm not gonna let her get you. If she wants t'do anythin' t'you, she's gotta go through me first. Boris, 'm not tryin' t'sound like I'm choosin' her or somethin', I just I dunno where else t'go-."

"It's okay, Bendy, I get it." The wolf broke through once the devil's rambling had started to lean more towards the trembling, raw tone that meant that Bendy was starting to get worked up. It was surprisingly familiar territory, despite the terrifying climate the pair found themselves in. But, that was why they were pals. They looked out for each other, had each other's backs. That certainly wasn't going to change now.

"I just, I don't think she's gonna be fair. She's…" Now Boris was the one to trail off, a hand coming up to scratch restlessly at the top of his skull as he tried to pull his thoughts together. Trouble was, they weren't…completely clear. But somehow he knew that Alice's…copy, that twisted mockery of their friend downstairs, was not going to think of what they wanted first.

"…she's not good. She does…she did…"

"D'you…remember it?" Bendy's question snapped Boris out of the odd, constricting thought he'd been caught in, the wolf looking down to meet the smaller toon's pie-cut eyes. Bendy's expression was pinched, fearful but so very much wanting to help even if he knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

"I think so…a little…I 'member…I 'member her in pieces, s'all so messy but…I thought she was…"

"Y'thought she was Alice? O-Our Alice?"

"Maybe at first. I don't remember anythin' happenin' t'Susie, but, maybe if things had happened a-after J-." No, no couldn't say that yet, couldn't even think that yet. Focus on the pieces, they were easier to digest.

"…'m sorry, Boris. I shoulda, I shoulda made you come with me." Bendy started, that trembling tone now mixing with the new warbling, vulnerable edge that made the heart pumping under the scar on Boris's chest ache. "I-I shouldn't've left, I shoulda stayed an' kept you safe, 'm so sorry…"

"Told'ya it's not your fault, Bendy. Y'got nothin' t'be sorry for." The wolf cut in, rewrapping the devil's trembling form in a hug. He couldn't help but be a little glad, considering it the one silver lining in this whole mess that Bendy had not been dragged into it with everyone else. And, some smaller more selfish part of Boris was a little relieved that the devil was here now, if it meant that he wasn't alone. Every time before, faded and disjointed the memories may have been, Boris didn't outright remember an instance where he'd been with someone.

Maybe that could give them an edge on being able to escape. Bendy was smart, and Boris could always back the smaller toon up on whatever he needed. 'Cause that's what pals did, right?

The silence carried on for a few minutes before Bendy gave a small sigh and pushed back from the wolf, doing his best to look Boris in the eye even though he was trying to clear partially-dried streaks of ink from his face.

"Let's just…go with what we've got now. We'll figure things out, right?"

"Course." Boris replied, peering out of the slat in the wood before pushing the door open. They let it close only after grabbing both the pipe and the wrench, the devil giving the former to Boris seeing as the flashlight was likely still sitting in a stairwell a few flights down. Bendy let his eyes gloss over the writing still very much visible on the far wall, instead choosing to see if he could spot something to give them a direction.

"Any idea where we can find machine parts? That's what she was askin' for."

Boris gave the matter a moment of thought before pointing through the window to their right, at a panel on the far wall with a small yellow light glowing at the top of the frame. Though the wolf did open his mouth to explain, any words he might have been able to offer were stolen by the sight of what was in the room. It was the same creature from before, one of the Butcher Gang characters but all broken-looking, the captain one. It was hardly doing anything, just lying on an otherwise empty table in the room, completely still and silent.

Bendy too went quiet; the manner in which the warped toon was lying was a little too familiar even with the lack of straps. Not to mention, what would it do if they came in, given that the box Boris had pointed out was also on the other side of the glass? Would it leap up from the table and attack them, or just lie there? The devil wasn't quite sure which would fray his nerves more.

Suddenly Boris reached out and tapped Bendy on the shoulder, pointing to the windowed room to their left. As the smaller toon's eyes followed the wolf's finger, he caught sight of another piecemeal-formed member of the Butcher Gang, this one up and actually moving about. It was a dead ringer for the one he'd seen face-up in the ink on the way back from 'Alice', and Bendy was sure if it were turned towards them he'd be seeing a real eyeball in its face.

The tense quiet from before was shattered when another half-formed monster sprung up at an intersection in the hallway, Bendy swinging as soon as it registered. It was only after the thing had splattered back into inert ink that the devil noticed something written on the wall in front of them; **HE WILL SET US FREE**.

Bendy didn't let himself stare at it for too long, pushing both it and the thoughts it provoked away as he turned right and hurried down the corridor towards another wooden booth and the door for the first room. A glance back showed that Boris had paused in front of the writing, staring like there was some riddle to it that he was trying to piece together. The wolf snapped out of the daze relatively quick though, hurrying after Bendy. The pair paused in front of the door, giving a few beats of cautious silence before Bendy reached for the knob.

The first thing the pair noticed was that the table, which the mismatched captain toon had been on before, was now unoccupied. The devil paused, pie-cut eyes glancing about as he tried to see if it had gone somewhere, maybe fallen back over the other side? Still, while it wasn't as tall as Boris it definitely had some size to it. Bendy peered at the drawer-laden support for the table with a skeptical frown. Maybe if it crouched the toon-monster could have fit, but it really didn't seem capable of much more than hobbling.

Granted, it had climbed out of the wall…

The place itself looked like some kind of an animation workroom, especially with a desk shoved off to the side. The table in the center seemed like kind of an odd choice, though Bendy could see why it might be there. The presence of a camera in the corner was a little odd, but hey, as long as that wasn't going to attack them it could stay right where it was. Taking a few steps away from the door, the devil faintly registered the sound of Boris following along behind, right before another half-formed torso of ink popped up from the floor.

Bendy leapt back, immediately considering it a bad decision when he practically toppled back into Boris's legs. This gave the half-formed monster time to start dragging itself forward, a faint hiss coming from its gaping maw as it pulled itself towards the two toons. Underneath the noise though, Bendy could hear more.

" _ **Lord…lord…**_ "

Even though it felt like ice had settled into his ink, the devil found himself mechanically winding back with the wrench, swinging and landing a clear hit in the indistinct, dark head. The force immediately disrupted the malformed being enough that it splattered all over the floor. For a moment Bendy stared at the spot it had once occupied, thinking back to the statue he'd seen in the hallway.

What did everyone here see him as? What did they want him to become?

"Bendy…?" Boris spoke up, the hushed tone causing the devil to start before looking back to meet the wolf's eye.

"'m alright," the smaller toon automatically said, and while he didn't feel like he was lying, he wasn't sure he was telling the truth either. Bendy shuffled to the side a little, glancing to the far wall where the box was located. Yep, still there.

The Butcher Gang character still wasn't making a reappearance, unless the half-formed creature was supposed to be it. And as Bendy moved to the box, he couldn't see any sign of something hiding behind the table. Turning back, the little devil fumbled for a moment before pressing down on the panel, something under the metal giving a click and letting the door swing open. Spinning about inside were gears, though the easiest to grab was a large one directly in the center. Once it was removed, the mechanisms inside stopped turning, the other gears grinding to a halt. Bendy looked up at it for a moment, wondering if there was something else he needed to do, before concluding that, well, the warped angel, 'Alice' had asked for parts. This technically counted.

It was a little big, but the gear did fit in his pocket, making it easier to carry around. That done Bendy turned to head out, Boris right on his spaded tail as the pair walked past another piping thing on the wall next to the door. The devil passed a look to the wooden booth nestled in the corner, remembering the earlier words about staying out in the open. However, apart from the mismatched Butcher Gang characters and the half-formed ink monsters, he hadn't seen…'walking ink', whatever that meant. Besides, moving around would probably be the better option given that they were trying to find things and continually stopping would drag that out. Even still, Bendy's advance was not lacking in caution, especially given that he remembered seeing another member of the Butcher Gang hobbling around in the other room. Peering into the window, the devil's pie-cut eyes narrowed as he spotted another box sitting at the far end of a hall leading off to the back. But there was no sign of the being he'd seen before, and the rest of the room seemed bereft of any other signs of life. Bendy's eyes cut up to look at Boris, who also had pressed himself to the glass to see through.

"Think it might be gone?" The smaller toon asked, keeping his voice down in case any noise would have something make a sudden appearance. Still, nothing did, and Boris gave the room another scanning sweep from his vantage point before speaking.

"'m not sure. Maybe."

Bendy frowned as he looked again, catching sight of another hall a little ways to his right, in line with the door that would take them into the room. Next to it on the wall there was another booth, something the devil took note of as he started to inch down. Nothing leapt out at him right when he pulled the door open, but given what had happened in the other room Bendy was a lot more cautious, ears straining as he tried to keep track of the wolf at his back without turning around. Both hallways stood vacant, and the door hadn't looked like it'd been touched.

Maybe they just broke apart…? But if that was the case, wouldn't it have meant that there would be a half-formed monster in here somewhere. Maybe there was, but they just hadn't seen it yet. Bendy took a few steps in, passing the booth in the corner as he headed down the first hallway to another box at the end. With another tap on the metallic door, he got another gear.

And, lo and behold, the new vantage point let him see that the two hallways were connected, the second corridor looping back to the main room. In that little nook where the hallway had looked like it ended was a second panel. Boris had already started to walk over just as Bendy fought to get the gear he'd taken into his pocket, though when the wolf mimicked the devil's motions he stopped and stared at the insides of the box.

"What's wrong?" Bendy asked, catching sight of the hesitation as he made to come over.

"There's…nothin' in here," Boris replied, turning to the approaching devil and moving aside to let the smaller toon look for himself. And, as Bendy could now see, this box's larger gear was indeed missing.

"Maybe someone already got to this one." After all, wouldn't this confirm that they were at least in the right ballpark for what to get? "It's alright, there's probably other…wait, there are others. There was one in that hall, after those two rooms where we got split up. That was the first one I saw."

"We gotta go all the way up there?" Boris asked, though he wasn't questioning whether or not they could do it, which was a good sign. Meant that it was more than likely a possibility, though Bendy decided that he really didn't have too much time to postulate on whether Boris was not asking because he figured it would be possible or because he was remembering that it was possible.

The pair started to walk up the second hallway, another half-formed monster springing to life and Bendy smashing it back down with the wrench out of reflex. It barely had time to make any noise and as far as Bendy was concerned, that was perfectly fine.

The pair headed back out and down the hall leading to the front room, Boris glancing to the side and noticing another hallway at the opposite end from the door. The wolf reached out and tapped Bendy on the shoulder, pointing when the devil turned to look at him. Bendy looked back with a conceding nod, figuring that there could be something down there worth looking at.

Turning the corner did reveal what looked like an old time-punch clock at the end of the hall, though as they continued to head down the hall the toons quickly realized that the corner was hardly only used for that. The elevator also seemed to have a stop on this floor, judging from the existence of a familiar cage to the left. Bendy actually recognized this one, this was the level labeled 'P'. The presence of a familiar statue on the far wall of the room added some credence and gave Bendy a moment's pause, though as before with the writing he pushed any thoughts he had to the back of his mind. He could deal with them later. Instead he turned and started to walk back to the door they'd come in through, hearing Boris following behind.

Back out in the hallway, the devil paused at the staircase to let Boris catch up, before glancing up and seeing another box at the top. The sudden presence of a familiar, long-fingered hand giving his shoulder a slight, bracing squeeze made him pause, the devil's head turning to look at Boris. The wolf's face was quietly pinched, a worried furrow in the inky 'brows' as the long ears half-lowered, eyes studying the devil's face. Which, Bendy realized as he briefly took stock of the fact that his shoulders were stiff and that his jaw was clenched, probably wasn't a very friendly or welcoming look right now. Not that he was really concerned with approachability, but the fact that it was making Boris worry definitely wasn't sitting well.

"You okay?" The quiet, lightly concerned tone was what finally made the small toon take a breath, letting some of the tension out as he could feel the muscles in his shoulders and head loosening at the release of pressure. He didn't feel completely fine, probably would be a while before he was at that point (was he ever, really?), but he didn't want Boris getting distracted and worried over him, especially in a place where every corner seemed to hide some new monster. So, if only for that, Bendy let a faint but present smile slide over his face, trying to direct whatever calm he could muster to the wolf.

"Yeah, 'm fine." He whispered back, a small hand reaching up to wrap itself around Boris's fingers, giving them a light squeeze. The gesture seemed to get something to loosen in the wolf's expression, the canine muzzle giving a grin back. In the moment of quiet Bendy glanced over Boris's shoulder, noticing a small corridor leading away from the stairs, ending in an ink-flooded space. It wasn't really anything special and nothing had come flying out of the black liquid, so the devil just made a quiet note of it before turning back around. The pair went up to the next landing, easily reaching the box and quickly getting another gear from the spinning mechanisms inside. This next one had to go into Boris's pocket, as Bendy's were starting to become a little overstrained with the previous two gears, the wrapped ink, and the presence of some paper. The next staircase leading up left them on a landing with a little knoll on the left side and another set of stairs on the right. In the small knoll was another Lil' Angel Station booth, the presence of which gave Bendy a moment's pause as he remembered where they'd been elsewhere that he'd seen so far. Two on the previous floor, and they'd walked past one in the same hallway they'd seen the first gearbox. And now one was here. This seemed like a little bit much for a merchandising tool, however, Boris…had seemed to just infer that they could hide in them before.

Was that information something the wolf had guessed, or was it something that he remembered without realizing it? Bendy didn't want to turn around and ask, recalling the way Boris's voice had gone from comforting to confused, even worried when he'd been trying to talk about it before. Besides, it was just a thought on his part, a theory. No need to bother Boris over some weird possibility or idea.

Still, it did have the devil scrutinizing the landing and knoll a little bit more closely, wondering if something was about to pop out of the ink puddles or drop down from the ceiling. Albeit, all of the monsters that they'd had to deal with hadn't exactly given them, well, trouble. They just had to hit them, sometimes multiple times. They were able to be stopped, that much Bendy was sure. He and Boris were well-armed enough for that.

Unless, there was something they hadn't seen yet…perhaps…

Bendy more or less let himself walk past the knoll, sticking close to Boris's side as he kept going. The wolf's footsteps were slow and careful, any glances he might have made in the direction of the knoll and the booth fleeting at best. It honestly added to the feeling that they were sneaking around, like there was something that would be able to hear if they made too much noise. Boris's expression didn't look…perturbed at all by what he was doing. The wolf was definitely paying close attention to the immediate state of their surroundings, his ears perked up and if Bendy was remembering the taller toon's body language right, listening carefully. Not that the devil could really hear anything, the stairwell silent and still, but he decided to take stock with what the wolf was doing anyways, letting that caution carry them to the next landing.

On this one there were two things that caught Bendy's attention, a pipe with a wheel attached which made him think of the flooded room downstairs, and there was another gearbox on the next landing. This one popped open with no issues, this gear too going into Boris's pocket. Going up the next two flights took them past another booth, and left them at a door sitting to their left. This time Boris was the one to reach out, carefully turning the knob and peering cautiously in. The immediate presence of a statue soured Bendy's mood regarding the room, though he chose to focus on the presence of the elevator instead. Had he seen this level before when they were going down…?

Yeah, he remembered this, the sign giving a name to the floor even as the presence of the statue jarred a bit of the earlier frantic memory; this was the one labelled Level '11' in the lift. As both toons peered about, the only things that stood out to them apart from the earlier mentioned structures was the presence of another piping installation and what looked like another punch clock on the wall opposite, behind a pair of pillars.

A few moments after stepping over the threshold, another half-formed monster sprung to life close to the nearest pillar, Bendy immediately lifting his wrench again though it had a brief gasp of speech before he clubbed it.

" _ **Save…please…"**_

He was not shaking, the devil told himself as he took a deep breath once the danger had passed. He was not, really. It just…it surprised him, same as everything else in here. He just needed a minute. It had nothing to do with what he heard, what the implications of it were, what he might be doing by making them break apart like that. 'Alice's warped voice echoed in his mind, about how the dark puddles were a 'screaming well of voices'.

These were, they had to be people at one point, the people who worked in the studio. He might have even known some of them. Could one of them be Henry, maybe even Alice? Sammy had been lucky enough to maintain some level of complexity to his personality, but what if…what if…?

"Bendy?" Boris asked, the noise breaking up the emotional and mental mire in the devil's head like a stone dropped into a swamp, making the small frame jerk as Bendy turned to look to the wolf. It was then that the small toon realized that ink was starting to run in a few rivets down his temples, the stress of his thoughts triggering the reaction. Darn it, darn it, darn it, he was trying to not need to tap into their few inkwells…! Not to mention what Boris must be thinking, he didn't need to be adding onto the wolf's worries right now.

Trying to wipe away the ink, Bendy knew with another twist of frustration that he only succeeded in smearing it about on his face from the stiff, sticky feeling against his fur and skin.

"'m fine." The devil ground out, turning towards the unexplored hallway to his right in a bid to keep things going. They couldn't keep stopping every time he couldn't hack it. Of course, it appeared the studio itself wanted to challenge him on that, as the space the hallway opened on had two distinct things that had Bendy stop for a moment with sheer indignation. One was the fact that the hallway continued, running down to some space from the opposite-right corner of the room. However, this was flooded with ink. And, the cherry on the whole goopy, reeking thing was the fact that propped up on a little beam was a cutout, the painted face giving him a mocking, leery grin.

Bendy was actually pretty sure his face currently looked the exact opposite of that, not to mention his shoulders and eyebrows were once again a tense line. Boris, meanwhile, had easily followed alongside the devil, and saw the exact same room that Bendy did. However, the wolf merely gave the whole scene a contemplative look, including the frustrated devil next to him.

And then he knelt next to Bendy, the sudden movement briefly shocking the devil enough that he started out of the funk he'd settled in.

"Hey, Bendy," Boris whispered, rolling his shoulders forward in a gesture that even after all these years, still struck a familiar chord with the devil. Still, he waffled for reasons more than a sense of pride.

"You don' gotta carry me every time we find ink, Boris."

"I know. But I wanna, if you'll let me." And there came the absolutely earnest expression that Samm-people had always said made Boris look more like an endearing puppy rather than a wolf. Not that the taller toon was done arguing his point. "Also, it'd probably be faster."

"…Alright, Boris, I know when I'm beat. I'm climbin' up."

Declaration of defeat made, Bendy easily clambered his way up onto Boris's back, holding himself in place with his hands wrapped around the wolf's neck and Boris's long arms looped to hold up the devil's legs. It was a position Bendy had known well thirty years ago; he was no stranger to piggy-back rides from Boris, especially when they were first created. He could still remember the brief moment of marveling he'd had at the first time, a little awed at how Boris could see things from so high up. Either way, it didn't take the pair long to start meandering down the flooded hallway, passing another booth set up on some planks against the wall. It was nearly across from the cutout, Bendy briefly glancing back with a perplexed stare before turning to look ahead. Out of the corner of his eye the devil caught something moving on the wall, of machine parts behind what might've been a window. Briefly Bendy toyed with the idea of ripping some off and taking that back to 'Alice', but given that they all seemed to be moving he was forced to reconsider. No need to get someone's fingers ripped off.

"Just be careful, Boris." He couldn't help but whisper, kind of moot given that the wolf sloshed his way through the ink with the utmost care regarding the noise level, or what they might end up disturbing somewhere in the dark floods. The end of the hallway bought them to a thankfully raised little platform, on which stood a few barrels, with a window peeking into a break room of some kind.

However, what was of more concern to the toons was not the room, or even that ink was smeared liberally around the edges of the glass, but what was walking through at a steady, plodding pace. Bendy felt the air catch in his throat as he tried to make some sense of this thing.

It had a running projector for a head, and a long, lanky body covered, or composed, with ink. There were also cables attached that jerked in time with the creature's movements, bobbing as it took step after step to their right, heading to the far side of the room. Boris, who had taken a few cautious steps back with a gasp, started to edge forward again once the creature had trudged out of sight. The wolf's ears pricked upright, listening carefully before shuffling over to the platform, both toons trying to peer in to see if they could make out where the…thing had gone.

As Bendy strained to see over Boris's shoulder, the wolf caught sight of another tape deck sitting on one of the barrels. Pie cut eyes shifted from the wayward recording to the window, before inching to the side and maneuvering so he could press the play button.

"Boris, wai-." Bendy started to hiss, though he was cut off when the tape inside started.

" _I don't get it. Everyone's walking around here like grandma just died. Nothing but angry faces everywhere. These people gotta lighten up. I mean, hello! You make cartoons! Your job is to make people laugh. I'm tellin' ya. If these people don't start crackin' a smile every now and then, I'm outta here."_

Wally again. Not that it explained any bit of what that was, but the topic would have piqued some of the toons' trademark curiosity if they hadn't just witnessed the new addition to their worries.

"Y-Y'don' think that was Wally, do you?" Boris asked into the resulting quiet, Bendy not able to offer more than a shrug.

"I dunno."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Bendy felt a pulsing ache come on, spreading out through his head and practically radiating down his spine. Without meaning to his grip on Boris tightened with a breathy, pained little whine, the wolf himself suddenly seeming a bit off-kilter though still attentive.

"Bendy? What's wrong?"

It did cross Bendy's mind to lie, to say that he was fine so they could go on searching. But then a nauseatingly fresh reverberation of pain exploded from behind his eyes, forcing the truth out in a gasp.

"M'head hurts. Really hurts."

Boris paused, arm shifting around under one of Bendy's legs before the wolf began to move again. The smaller toon started at the sound of a door opening, and when his pie-cut eyes squinted enough to see that Boris was going into a doorway Bendy stiffened. Before he could comment, another beat of pain radiated from his head outward, causing the devil to bury his face into the back of Boris's neck to keep from groaning or shouting. By the time the burning ache had started to fade, Bendy realized that the wolf had gone through into the break room. However, nothing seemed to be in there, apart from some tables, chairs, and another Lil' Angel Station tucked away in the corner. The taller toon immediately threw both himself and Bendy inside.

The devil let Boris take the pipe away, watching as the wolf propped it up on the bench next to them. That taken care of the taller toon immediately turned his attention to Bendy, gently placing the back of his head on the devil's forehead while he tested his other hand on his own head. In the background, a clock ticked out a steady beat.

"'s fine, Boris, 's passing." Bendy tried to say, though the wolf didn't seem very pacified. Still, he wasn't lying. The longer they sat there the more the sudden pain began to ease, his head feeling more or less normal. However, the stress from the experience still showed in a bit of loose ink dribbling gently from the smaller toon's right brow. The moment Bendy's fingers had happened on the leak, he immediately suppressed a groan.

"Geez, sorry, pal. I didn't drip on you, did I?" Boris shook his head at the recriminating whisper, pie-cut eyes still worried, his ears and tail mimicking the anxious mood.

"I don' care about that, Bendy. Are y'sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, fine. You know me, 'm always drippin'."

"W-We have ink, right? Y'only finished off part'a th' one, y'can have the rest-." Boris whispered, expression going from worried to hopeful, only to be struck down with Bendy's next words.

"No, no I can't do that. We might need it for somethin' else, Boris, we can't go wastin' it just 'cause I'm drippin'."

"But…what about your head?" The wolf tried, a slight, fretting whine starting to come into the hushed tone.

"My head'll jus' havta deal. We need t'get those parts. The sooner we get 'em, the sooner we might get outta here."

Though Bendy had meant for his words to be the end of the argument, the first sentence alone seemed to ramp up Boris's anxiety over the smaller toon, long-fingered gloves fisting in the fabric of his overalls at the knees. The wolf quietly swallowed before starting to speak.

"I don' want you gettin' hurt is all. I don't wanna fight you, an' if you say its fine, then I'll believe you, Bendy. Jus'…don' go runnin' yourself down t'nothin' when you don' gotta, alright?"

Bendy heard the words, but it still felt like it took him an inordinately long time to respond. Pie-cut eyes dropped until he could see nothing but his knees, a word sliding from his tongue on a mere breath.

"Okay. 'm sorry, pal."

"'s alright, Bendy." Long, furry arms wrapped around the small devil's frame, pulling him into a hug against Boris's chest. Unwittingly, Boris had also pressed Bendy's head right up against the center of his chest, the raised line of scar tissue almost leaving an imprint in the smaller toon's forehead. Still, Bendy hardly wanted to break the hug, even as feelings of recrimination and guilt came back to nearly choke the air from his lungs.

 _You just make him worry make him hurt make everyone hurt in your name little burden little parasite you should have never been made_ _ **your fault your fault your fault…**_

He didn't cry, though a small gloved hand came around to latch onto whatever it could, which happened to be one of Boris's overall straps. It felt like a drowning man grasping at whatever he could to stay afloat, which summed up how Bendy felt rather nicely, except for one thing in that he knew there was nothing to sink in apart from the mire that lay inside of his own thoughts.

Eventually though, Bendy did manage to rise above the mental swamp, stating that they did need to get more parts and if there weren't any here, then there was really no need to stay. And though Boris did seem poised to keep a close eye on Bendy, the wolf did concede on that fact.

They were just lucky that whatever that projector monster had been, it didn't decide to come back. Though from what Bendy could see when they stepped out of the booth, it seemed to have gone through what looked like another sliding metal door on the far side of the room. Perhaps it couldn't get back in.

The ink flooded hallway was still quiet, Boris unable to get in a word to offer Bendy a piggy-back ride again before the toon devil had stepped in up to his knees. Though upon seeing the wolf's downtrodden expression Bendy reached out and grabbed ahold of the long-fingered gloves, the canid features struck with surprise for a moment before Boris smiled and gave the smaller hand a gentle squeeze. They continued at each other's shoulders back through the ink, easily getting to where the elevator stop was and heading back out to the stairwell. Taking the next flight up, Bendy noticed Boris looking back into a hallway leading in the opposite direction, behorned head turning to see a cache of instruments tucked away in the space. Giving a small, knowing grin Bendy gave the wolf's hand a few insistent tugs, the small bit of pulling eventually leading Boris up to the top of the stairs.

"We can't take 'em with us, Boris."

"It's a perfectly good drum, Bendy!" The taller toon whined back, causing the devil to roll his eyes a little at the familiar conversation ground. Short of Sammy Boris had been excessively careful and conserving regarding the instruments, a few short months under the music director's tutelage ending in him being able to fix things like banjoes and violins by himself. And, as Bendy had learned from Boris no end of times following a rough work day, the conditions of Joey Drew Studios meant that things tended to break a lot, instruments included. According to Sammy, Bendy'd heard through Boris, the studio head wasn't interested in shelling out much money for things he felt he didn't have to pay for. This often meant that people had to make do with recobbled things, and through that Boris had picked up a definite tendency to not throw things away unless they were completely unsalvageable. It wasn't until Bendy was out on the streets that he found himself making use of that idea, especially when it came to things like blankets and clothing.

To be fair, if this weren't a life or death situation Bendy would have no issue with Boris smuggling out a clarinet or something. A marching drum though definitely would have pushed the limits on what they could safely carry around. Not to mention there was the added issue of the whole 'life and death situation'…

The pair passed a work desk and a stack of furniture on the landing, but no more gearboxes, the noticeable lack spurring them to the next floor. That yielded another piping installation, some shelves which they did try to peek through, but no gearboxes and no loose mechanical parts either. Lots of bacon soup cans scattered and tucked about on both landings though, something Bendy noted with a raised eyebrow. The next level up just had lots of drawers packed into the one landing, though the stairwell itself was changing a little. Now it wasn't a solid wall, more of a divide between the way they'd come and the way up, which seemed to be the highest level they could go. The closed door up at the top of the stairwell did briefly give the two toons some hesitation, though Bendy carefully pulled the door open, peering through the gap as much as he could.

It took a few seconds of staring for the scene to click. They were in the room with the catwalk and stairs, the one they'd been in at the start of this particular nightmare.

Well, while it wasn't a way out necessarily, at the very least the devil knew where he was. And he knew where to go from here. As the pair stepped over the landing and into the room proper the faint sounds of the intercom system 'Alice' had been using abruptly began emanating from the elevator, causing both toons to freeze in their tracks. Not that the warped angel kept them waiting long, her voice drifting through the room like a cat that had gotten the cream.

 _ **"Have you seen it? The Ink? They say it hears everything. Every creak of the floor. Every rustle of paper. I wouldn't run so fast if I were you. You never know what will draw it in."**_

The teasing mock faded back into the stuffy quiet, though Bendy's thoughts whirled at the information. Whatever this monster was, this 'ink', as 'Alice' had dubbed it, could hone in on anything. Could he and Boris even talk to each other? The answer seemed to be a solid no, and as Bendy's panic levels rose, he was suddenly aware of a thundering rush in his ears, the sensation making him briefly press a small gloved hand to his chest. Though the thick coat masked it, he knew that if he were to actually try, he could feel his heart racing.

…blazes, could it even hear his heartbeat?! Could it hear Boris's? Bendy's eyes immediately snapped to the wolf still standing next to him, the taller toon's ears back as his wide-eyed stare conveyed that he'd had the same thought. Immediately, while possibilities and thoughts exploded in the smaller toon's mind, Bendy latched onto one of Boris's hands, pulling the wolf along towards the stairs. It wasn't until they'd gotten to the weird little hallway filled with moving machinery that glances turned into actual, whispered speech.

"D-D'you remember anythin' about this? About…livin' ink?"

Boris, didn't know. At first. However, after a few minutes of thinking something began to clatter its way from the more scattered memories sitting about his skull. It wasn't much, but sound of something moving steadily about, of wrongness igniting a terrible, bone-deep fear inside him, like he was about to be…to be…

To be what? Boris, didn't know, didn't remember, but he knew it was something that he didn't want to run into. The wolf let his pie-cut eyes open again, quietly fixing on Bendy's anxious face.

"I…don' think so. There's definitely somethin' down here that…I think she mighta been talkin' about but 'm not sure. D'you remember anythin' about ink movin' around on its own, like it's alive?"

It could have just been the wording finally rattling it loose, but suddenly something flashed into Bendy's mind, the memory of _being tied to a pole while ink rose over him, his body being dragged towards it like a magnet as he screamed and fought_ -.

"Bendy?" Boris asked, quietly kneeling and gently placing a hand on the devil's shoulder, easily snapping the smaller toon from the trance he'd found himself in. Bendy started with a light gasp, his eyes snapping up to look Boris in the face.

"I-I think I know what she might be talkin' about." Came out of his mouth, before several things began to run through his mind in short order. For starters, he was entirely unprepared on how to explain the 'getting-tied-up-and-nearly-sacrificed' thing, not to mention the fact that he was ninety-nine percent sure that Sammy had been the one to kick off the eponymous sacrificing. Sammy, who while Bendy had not been close to, the music director had been a large part of the wolf's life at the studio. Boris had learned how to play instruments from Sammy, learned how to fix them from Sammy, and even learned to read from both Henry and Sammy after Joey had given up on teaching him.

What the heck would Bendy telling what he'd seen do to the wolf, especially if he was right?

"Nothin', nevermind, we gotta, we gotta go find th' last gearbox, c'mon." The devil blurted out, pulling away and hurrying through the next room back to the lever hallway. Bendy was about to step into the ink-stained toy room when the warning about moving quickly crashed into his mind, causing the devil to slow down. Coming around the corner just bought the sound of the clocks ticking into greater prominence, the noise nearly drowning out Boris coming up to stand next to him. Still, Bendy couldn't say he was surprised when he glanced up and caught sight of the worry etched onto the canid muzzle.

"Sorry, Boris, I jus', I really don' wanna talk about it, please don' make me…"

"'s okay, Bendy. I...'m sorry."

"Y'don' gotta be sorry, pal. 'm jus', I don' wanna talk about it. 's got nothin' t'do with you."

The steady tick of the clocks filled the void, making the gulf between the pair seem even larger. Bendy's shoulders began to stiffen as the devil stared downward, unable to even look up to meet Boris's eyes. At least, until the top of Bendy's head was suddenly crowned by a familiar, long-fingered glove. The touch caused the devil to jerk, though Boris had a warm smile on his face despite the somber mood still gripping the scene.

"'s okay, Bendy. Let's go get that last gear."

"Best thing I've heard all day." Bendy replied, a wane smile accompanying the somewhat wry shot at humor, the pair continuing on side by side. Thankfully, the smoggy hallway was as devoid of anything as the rest of the floor, the pair walking easily past the Lil' Miracle Station to the last gearbox. The final gear took a bit of finagling, though eventually they managed to fit it with the other one in Boris's pocket. Unfortunately the wolf had had to ditch the soup cans he'd grabbed before, much to his discontent.

"Boris, they'll be other soup cans, prob'ly. Or y'can hide 'em an' we can come back t'get 'em later."

"Y'think we'll be able to?" Boris asked, ears tilting in turn with his head.

"Maybe, though I don' think we'll be havin' any issues with findin' more."

Boris shrugged with a nod, easily falling into step with Bendy as they headed back the way they'd come. Before they made it to the elevator room the wolf paused in the hallway with the levers, glancing down the corridor. The sudden halt caused Bendy to stop as well.

"…Boris?"

"There's a door down there. It's, I think it was shut before, but it's open just a lil' bit now."

Taking a few steps back Bendy's eyes followed where Boris was pointing, and indeed the door he'd walked past a few times before was now ajar. Had he tried that one? He couldn't remember…

Glancing at each other, the pair came to a silent decision before edging down the hall, both holding their weapons at the ready as they approached. However, there was nothing in the immediate area when they came in, apart from a trunk with a tape deck resting on it. They considered it for a moment before Bendy came to a decision.

"Let's give it a try. If somethin' happens, we run for it." The wolf nodded in response to the devil's whisper, watching as Bendy pressed play.

 _"Alright, let's go over this again. If the pressure goes over 45, I screw the safety bolt in tighter, right?"_ Was that Wally? It sure sounded like him, though another voice quickly came on.

 _"No! For the last time, you do that, you'll blow every pipe in this place! If it reaches 45, you unhook the safety switch."_ This one Bendy immediately placed, the repairman, Mr. Connor. But what were they talking about with the pipes?

 _"You sure? You know, this sounds harder than comparing ear wax to bee's wax!"_

 _"Look, it's not that difficult! Just keep an eye on the gauge!"_

 _"Look pal, if you think I'm doing my job and yours, I'm outta here!"_

At the faint pop of the tape clicking off Bendy turned to the wolf, but Boris was facing away from him, staring down the hall. It did seem like it went on for quite a ways, though when the devil edged around to get a better look he noticed that Boris…didn't look like he was all there. The taller toon's eyes were distant, peering about the corridor as though there was a layer to it that Bendy just wasn't seeing. The devil almost didn't want to speak up, not sure if he should break the strange spell that had gripped the wolf. It was only when Boris took a sliding step forward, to go further down the hall, that Bendy felt compelled to say something.

"…Boris? Pal, y'okay?"

Though the wolf's ears twitched, showing that he had at least heard his name, the taller toon was still enraptured, taking another, more assured step down the hall. Throwing a glance back at the doorway just to make sure there wasn't anything that could sneak up on them, Bendy hurried so that he was standing in front of Boris.

"Boris!" The tone was just shy of an actual holler, though when Bendy reached out and grabbed the wolf's free hand it snapped Boris out of the strange spell.

Shaking himself, the taller toon blinked hard before turning his attention to the little devil.

"Ben? What's wrong?"

"What's-?" Bendy nearly echoed, a faintly relieved laugh bleeding through at the dissolution of the weird stupor. That had…honestly been more than a little scary. "Pal, wh-, a-are you okay? Y'kinda checked out for a minute there."

"Oh, I-I did? I'm sorry, Bendy, I didn't mean t'…" The wolf started, before something occurred to him, simply tumbling from his mouth nary a moment later. "Ben, can we, can we see where this goes? Like, what's at th' end of it?"

"…Okay." The devil hummed, falling into step next to the taller toon as he peered with wary curiosity at the canid face. Not that Boris noticed, carrying on and stepping over a sunken spot in the floor. Though the wolf did reach back to help Bendy he was still clearly distracted, enough that when the pair passed another corridor to the right the devil was the only one who noticed.

Bendy'd been about to point it out when he saw that Boris wasn't stopping, instead carrying on past a wall inscribed with ' **THE CREATOR LIED TO US'**. The further they went, the more the wolf grew lost in the encompassing torpor, almost jogging as the corridor cut to the right before continuing further. Though a part of Bendy knew that he should chime in, make Boris stop before he got some monster's attention, something made him hold his tongue. Perhaps it was how the wolf fell so easily into this mindset, or the faint promise of something that might be helpful or worth seeing, but he bit down on any protests and did his best to run after Boris, all the while keeping an eye out just in case. However, as he was glancing back, Bendy was just a hair too slow to realize that Boris had come to a halt. The wolf snapped to at the impact of the much smaller toon colliding with the back of his legs, twisting about and reaching out to Bendy as the devil stumbled back.

"Bendy, I, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t', are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah fine." The smaller toon murmured, rubbing at his forehead for a moment as the shock of the impact cleared. "Why'd you stop?"

Boris didn't seem to have an answer, at least not an audible one. Instead, the wolf's face mired with anxiety, the hand he'd laid on Bendy's shoulder tightening over the fabric of the devil's coat. The pair's attention turned to the space ahead, the very end of the corridor, which was occupied by what looked like it had once been a Lil' Miracle Station booth. Once been, because at the moment it was almost hard to tell with how the door had been torn off, the area around splattered liberally with ink. Oh, wait, there was the door, though from how much it was covered with ink Bendy had a hard time telling it apart from anything else down here. However, the sight was secondary in the face of what was scrawled on the inside wall of the booth.

 **FEEL FAMILIAR?**

Well, Bendy could say that the words didn't make much sense to him as he didn't remember anything like this even from when the studio was running, but Boris…

The wolf was quietly looking about at the scene, eyes distant even as they cast over everything from the words to the decimated booth. Forcing a little more assuredness into his demeanor, Bendy tried to get the taller toon's attention. Clearing his throat, the devil spoke over what sounded like a pipe hissing, trying to find the right range of audible without being too noisy.

"Does that mean somethin' t'you, pal?"

"Huh?" Boris grunted, thoughts stalling as Bendy's words snapped him out of his stupor. "Uh…I, I guess…"

The wolf's words trailed off, his head turning from the booth to look somewhere above. Following Boris's gaze, Bendy noticed that there was a sort of catwalk or ledge up above them, leading off into a space that sat above the other hall, with the levers and the statue.

"…I think I've been down here b'fore. I don', I don' 'member too well, but there's, there's bits." Boris murmured, shifting about so that he was standing in the near center of the hallway, right in front of the booth. Staring down the corridor, the wolf shuffled back a few steps, almost recreating something playing out in his head. "We, I was standin' here, somethin' happened, I went in there…"

Pointing back at the booth, Boris continued with Bendy watching from the sidelines.

"Th-There was a lotta noise, the door got pulled off, an', an' I, I ended up out in th' hall…" The wolf trailed off, head abruptly turning to peer up at the catwalk to the right of their heads. Bendy did follow the taller toon's gaze, but it quickly became clear that whatever Boris was seeing, it wasn't something that Bendy was able to picture without help.

"An', there was somethin', somethin' came down from up there…" Boris murmured, though as he spoke the taller toon's body language started to change, drawing inward and growing more and more fearful as the seconds ticked by. "I-I think we oughta get outta here…"

"Alright, pal, we're goin'." Bendy quickly conceded, grabbing the wolf's hand as the pair started to head back the way they'd came. However, after they'd gone around the bend back to the first part of the corridor and were coming to the entrance of the other hall, the little devil felt compelled to speak up. Not to mention, they'd already come this far, why not just check it? If anything, there might be something worth finding down there, make this whole thing with 'Alice' a little easier…

"Boris, hold on a minute. I wanna see what's down there."

"Huh? There?" The wolf echoed, glancing in the direction that the smaller toon was indicating. Though Bendy watched Boris's face for any sign of the strange reverie that had taken hold before, there was no recognition. Maybe this spot was safe then? Or Boris just hadn't made it in there. Still, with no reason not to, and the possibility being too tempting to ignore in their situation, the pair darted over to the other corridor. And hurried smack into another dead end that was filled with the sight of the ink machine as it descended through the shaft, the chains steadily reeling the metallic behemoth further and further into the building.

"…How far down can that thing go?" Bendy murmured, more to himself though Boris answered anyway.

"I-I dunno. There was, I think they were puttin' somethin' t'gether before, before everythin', J-Joey had said somethin' 'bout construction?"

It made sense, given the presence of the toy room a ways back, though Bendy couldn't help but question the wisdom of building something this big underneath the studio. There was a whole city up above, that sort of thing couldn't fly. Weren't there building codes that people had to obey when it came to this? Not that the little devil would have put it past his creator, Joey was certainly stubborn enough to get what he wanted. A niggling thought about safety was also countered when Bendy recalled the apparent condition of the elevator, and the fact that there was a machine that probably weighed a ton or two at least. The shaft that apparently ran through the whole building showed that safety clearly wasn't a concern here.

It was all the more reason to leave, though with things the way they were it seemed like that was just becoming more and more difficult. And, with nothing to help them on their errand from 'Alice' the pair were forced to head back through to the lever hallway. Before they knew it, they were coming back to the catwalk leading down to the elevator, though another crackle went through the speakers before 'Alice' gave another message.

 _ **"That should be plenty. Return them to me. And try not to die on the way back."**_

Bendy frowned heavily at the elevator following that pronouncement, his hand curling into a fist at how…how callously she was willing to play with their lives, for her own gain. And she thought of herself being akin to their Alice…!

But, she did say they could stop, which was a relief to the somewhat frayed nerves the devil had, and he offered Boris a faint smile as he caught the wolf peering over at him. Probably concerned by the expression on Bendy's face. The devil quietly flashed the taller toon a thumbs up, nonverbally stating, in case 'Alice' could hear, that he was alright to keep going. Boris gave Bendy his own grin, sticking close to the devil's side as they headed quietly towards the stairs.

However, as the pair headed down, the small corridors leading into the cavernous front room for the toy department were filled with the sound of shrieking metal as something was forced to work against its own mechanisms. The noise continued to echo for a few minutes before stopping, as an uneasy silence began to take hold once more, broken only by the sound of a rhythmic, liquid splatting.

* * *

The way back down to the lowest level was mostly quiet, the toons making their way with careful purpose through stairwell after stairwell. Soon enough, the familiar bottom landing came into view, Bendy absently catching sight of an old off-white projector sitting on one of the tables that he hadn't noticed before. Once they'd gotten back to the actual stairway leading down to 'Alice', there came the somewhat arduous task of figuring out how Bendy was going to carry the gears and the wrench. Problem was Bendy's gloved hands were fumbling with the clunky metallic bits, eventually opting to hold them against his body, pinned there by an arm as he dragged the wrench behind him. Boris nonverbally fretted over the arrangement, though in the end there was nothing else he nor Bendy could really do about it. The devil had been about to go down the staircase when the intercom gave a crackle, and a familiar voice began to speak.

 **"** _ **There was a time when people knew my name.**_ **"It's Alice Angel", they'd say. Feels like so long ago. But those days can come back.** _ **Dreams come true, Susie. Dreams come true."**_

The seeming non-sequitur seemed to come on unprovoked, leaving both toons in silence as they tried to digest what they'd heard. Both sets of pie-cut eyes looked to each other, Boris suddenly looking like he might be having second thoughts about letting Bendy go down to drop off the gears. Despite the fact that his hands being full meant that he couldn't reach out to the wolf, the little devil flashed his taller companion a smile that hopefully appeared more reassuring than he felt. Bendy tried to hide any outward sign of his anxiety as he crossed the bridge, though he couldn't help that his tail began to coil close to his legs as he peered about the dais, looking for someplace to drop his cargo.

On the opposite side of the door from where he'd gotten the wrench, there was another metallic thing that looked like a garbage can, or a chute. Working on his hunch, Bendy began to levy the gears in, desperately hoping that he wasn't making a huge mistake. For a moment everything was silent, right before the intercom crackled again and a new order came through over the aging system.

 _ **"I'll make this simple. Look for valve panels. Turn the little wheels. Then bring me their power cores. Please don't make me regret sparing you. I can always change my mind."**_

Well, as long as he knew he was doing this right, then Bendy could figure he wasn't doing a completely terrible job. The sound of metal creaking drew his eyes to the contraption on the left, which had just revolved to reveal a new implement for him to use. Though as Bendy drew closer to get a better look, he couldn't help the brief air of frustration that flashed over his monochrome features.

After all, what the heck was he supposed to do with a plunger? Kill the various ink horrors coming after him and Boris with suction? Still, the toon devil said nothing, regretfully grabbing ahold of the wooden handle as he did his best to place the wrench back into the spot. The heft to it made the endeavor a little awkward, but eventually it revolved back around, leaving Bendy with his new weapon and task.

Well, silver linings, at least he had a good idea of how to begin this time.

Still, the expression on Boris's face when he saw the toilet plunger in the devil's hands probably mirrored the one Bendy had had when he first laid eyes on the thing.

"What was she sayin' 'bout valves?" The wolf asked once the pair had gotten back into the stairwell, voice rumbling in the dull quiet.

"Think she meant th' wheel things we've been seein' everywhere. Remember, I asked you what one a'them was upstairs?"

Dawning comprehension struck with a soft 'oh', the wolf cluing in on what the devil was talking about straight away.

"There's one on the next level, right?"

"Yeah, think there was." Bendy replied, smiling a little at the fortune that came with being already somewhat familiar with the area. It didn't take them long to go up the staircases that lead to the next floor, though when they got to the T-shaped hallway something black suddenly lurched out of the flooded part, hurtling at Bendy who had been fair enough ways ahead of Boris. Automatically the small toon swung with the plunger, though the rubbery smack of the top against the half-formed monster only knocked it back a pace. Nowhere near the force Bendy would need to destroy it, if anything it had been emboldened by the light hit. Its next lurch brought its ink head crashing against Bendy's, the impact knocking the toon over as he shut his eyes and tried not to gag at the reek of ink up against his nose or pressing at his mouth.

" _ **Lord…lord…**_ " The thing hissed, voice a gurgling rasp as its ink dripped over the smaller frame pinned under it. Bendy tried to bring the plunger up as a barrier, but the long arm came down and pressed it to the front of the devil's coat, pinning Bendy's arms as well. With its hand on the wooden handle, the creature started dragging both itself and Bendy over the threshold of the other very ink-stained hallway, leading down into the dark pool at the end. For a few terrifying seconds, Bendy tried to throw off the monster's grip, feeling splinters digging into his back in between slicks of ink though his struggles seemed to be all for naught. And then a pipe swung through the dark head, the force causing the rest of the monster to burst apart as Bendy hurriedly scrambled back just in time to avoid the worst of it. Still, his shoes got soaked with the stuff again. The feeling of hands on his shoulders, pulling him to sit up, almost made Bendy swing back with the plunger. The ink was still splattered all over his face, obscuring his vision and filling his nose with nothing but the smell. But Bendy's ears still worked, enough that he could hear the sounds of Boris moving about and talking behind him.

"Bendy, Bendy are you alright?! Say somethin'!"

Given that if he opened his mouth it would end in the ink that the…thing, was covered in getting into his body and oh boy did Bendy not want to deal with that, the devil just gave a wretched, slime-clogged whine of disgust and no small amount of fear.

I-It's alright, Bendy, I gotcha, hold still." Boris murmured from somewhere over Bendy's head, tone warbling a little but at least the wolf was trying to be calm, which was great seeing as the smaller toon could feel himself shaking. Nary a moment later a furry arm scrubbed over the devil's pale features, clearing the sludge enough that he felt safe opening his eyes and letting a held breath out with a gasp. Immediately Boris's face came into focus, the wolf's teeth gritted with stress as his ears tucked down against his head.

"You okay, Bendy?"

Truthfully no, no he wasn't. Even still, the devil found himself nodding, glancing at the pool the half-formed ink monster had just been trying to drag him to. It was at that moment Bendy realized that Boris was propping him up with his left arm around his shoulders, the limb vibrating slightly as it held the smaller toon's frame partly upright. However, it wasn't that particular arm that Bendy suddenly thought of. The devil's gloved hands shook as they ran through the fur on Boris's right arm, slogging off the inky residue left behind.

It didn't occur to Bendy until he'd gotten the majority of the stuff off that he should probably at least try to explain what he was doing.

"Sh-Should try t'clean that off, dunno what's in it." Even to Bendy's ears the tone was clipped and far too brittle to be natural, though Boris didn't react beyond a light squeeze from the hand resting on the devil's jacketed shoulder. For a minute it was calm, before a far-off clanging noise echoed down from somewhere above, causing both toons to quickly look ceiling-ward. Not that that really told them much, the dingy wood overhead looking about as old and ink-streaked as everything else, but they'd already been put on alert. Boris helped Bendy to his feet, the pair taking the hallway next to the stairs to the still-open door.

The place looked about the same, though the presence of something walking around in the room on the left caused the two-toon procession to pause. Bendy found himself blinking at the sight of another warped character from the Butcher Gang. This one had his head bouncing around on a line, but a black body similar to the one that had been walking around before. That would be something to deal with…later. Boris waited for the mismatched toon to go out of sight before heading to the booth that was tucked away next to the right-hand room door, ushering himself and Bendy inside. The plunger and pipe were a bit cumbersome, but somehow Boris managed to lean them up so that they wouldn't fall and there was still enough room for the pair to sit on the bench.

"Boris, we shouldn' be waitin', we gotta go get the cores…fr-from the valves."

"Alrigh', we'll do that in a minute."

"Boris…" Bendy tried again, hearing the whine in his voice as it slid out of his throat, and noticing even in the low light how the tone made the wolf's ears tuck down, a frown on his muzzle.

"Bendy, please, y'were jus'…I jus' wanna make sure you're okay."

I don't want to fight you. It felt like the same words but with a new spin, not helped by the fact that Boris was still looking so very worried and woebegone. It suddenly struck Bendy that from the wolf's perspective the devil had just been violently attacked and nearly dragged off to who-knows-where. How would Bendy be reacting if their roles had been reversed? Probably very much the same, honestly. Also he'd fallen asleep in the other booth last time and 'Alice' didn't really seem to care, heck, her words once they'd gotten all the gears seemed to imply that she wouldn't care overmuch if something did happen to them.

And maybe the continual exposure to things that thought of Bendy as some sort of god was making the toon devil want to huddle up somewhere comparatively safer and maybe try to work on shoving that down into some dark corner of his mind for at least the next decade.

"Alright, Boris. Stayin' put."

"Alright," The wolf started, expression growing a little lighter at both the conceding and the effort at humor. "Are y'okay, though?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine, jus' startled me is all," Bendy murmured, leaning up against the taller toon and relaxing a little when Boris wrapped an arm round the devil's smaller frame. It helped him not think about the smears of ink drying at the edges of his face, or hissed, raspy voices coming from inky shapes as they reached out to grab him.

The very thought made the devil give a small shudder, Boris's arm tightening for an instant in a side hug as the wolf's other hand came to rest on Bendy's head, tousling at the smaller toon's nonexistent hair. For a bit, the two sat in silence, before warring curiosity and perhaps some desperate desire not to be alone in his plight made Bendy speak up.

"Boris…have, y'ever heard anythin' when those monsters pop up? The ones that're all ink?"

"…They kinda make a squishin' noise, if that's what y'mean, Bendy."

"N-No, not that, Boris. I mean…d'ya hear them…talk?" Well, there it was out. Maybe Boris would just be too polite to make the obvious comment, that the devil had lost it, and change the subject.

"…No, I don' think I've ever heard that. Y'hear them…talk t'you?"

Not really wanting to speak, Bendy nodded against the wolf's chest, keeping his eyes trained on the inside wall of the booth.

"W-What do they say?" Boris blurted out, the frank, unsure question causing the devil to flinch as he tried to figure out how to get over this particular hurdle in the conversation.

"It's…they call me things like 'lord', an' tell me I gotta save them. It's prob'ly got a heck of a lot t'do with th'…th' statues that're all around here. An'…an' the writin' sayin' stuff like 'he will set us free'. It's all got t'do with me, an' I jus'…I dunno what any of it means or how 'm even supposed t'do that, an' with everythin' I've seen I just…"

Bendy gave a hard blink, the image of a staring, eyeless ink face looking down at him suddenly emblazoned on the backs of his eyelids. Involuntarily the small toon's frame gave a quivering shudder, Boris speaking up at the vibration reverberating up his arms.

"Bendy?"

"I-It tried t'pull me inta th' ink. It was draggin' me towards-I don' even know what would happen t'me if I, if I'd still be, be me or-." The devil's jaw clamped shut as terrified hysteria caused his voice to tremble, his frame huddling in Boris's lap as though that could do something against the ever-encroaching threat to quite possibly the devil's very self. The only thing he could do, it seemed, was try to out-maneuver anything that came after him.

"Bendy?" Boris suddenly asked, voice soft as his arms gave the smaller frame a brief, grounding squeeze. Bendy didn't quite have enough voice in him to make anything beyond a faint, whistling question of a noise, but Boris took that as a yes anyway.

"…'m not gonna let anythin' happen t'you, an' nobody's gonna make you into anythin' you don' wanna be. 'Cause I'll stop 'em. We jus' gotta stick t'gether 'sall."

"Y-Yeah, trust me, 'm not gonna be runnin' off on my own for a long while." Bendy chimed in, voice only quavering a little as his arm gave Boris's ribcage a brief, grateful squeeze. "Think we can go 'bout gettin' those valve things?"

A brief moment passed in which the wolf peered through the slat in the booth door, confirming that there was nothing lying in wait outside. The pair slipped out and headed for the spot just inside the room they were next to, Bendy taking a moment to have a closer look at the three valves. 'Alice' had said something about power cores, were they somewhere he could see them? The panel next to the pipes seemed like a good enough guess, though it didn't open at a touch the way the gearboxes did.

Right, the warped angel had said that the wheels needed to be turned. Bendy took note of the same black dots present on the front of the pipes, all at the midway point. On a hunch he reached out and started to turn the middle wheel, stiffening with a squeaked yelp as the metal parts made a screech in their effort to turn. The sudden noise coupled with the earlier warning about making too much of a racket made Bendy stop, hands up at his sides like a criminal with a spotlight on them as he tried to look about for a sign that he'd gotten something's attention. The only living thing in sight was Boris, who'd also stiffened with tense fright at the sudden noise. Despite that, the wolf gestured for the devil to keep going, Bendy quickly turning back and doing his best to make sure the levels of the liquid lined up with the black dots. The process felt painstaking, and more than a little harrowing as it seemed to take hours.

Albeit, Bendy knew that only a few minutes had passed, the small metal door to the left of the pipes and wheels unlocking the instant everything was in its proper place. The devil swiftly reached in and gave the cylinderish, metallic piece a tug, and was incredibly happy that it popped out with only a small shower of sparks and clacking sound. Well, almost, there was one more issue Bendy had to resolve. Namely that this was far bigger than the gears, and who knows how many of these they would have to get.

And not that it was really an accomplishment but the thing did span a little over the length of the devil's forearm, though thankfully it was not that heavy. How they were gonna carry more than two, maybe three was a mystery that Bendy knew he'd have to solve somehow, especially given that he wasn't sure that 'Alice' would appreciate them coming back to her floor to drop off what she wanted in bits. Not to mention leaping back and forth would slow them down and leave things open for something to try getting at them. Though Boris's declaration from before did warm Bendy's ink, the devil could safely say that he didn't want the wolf to need to make good on what he'd promised if either of them could help it.

The pair headed to the other room next, peering about for signs of anything that might mean either of them harm. For the moment, the place seemed to be empty.

Heading inside caused a clatter to be roused from the other end of the looping hallway, a misshapen figure stumbling up the corridor to meet them. Immediately Bendy placed it as one of the Butcher Gang characters, the one with his head on a string, its cartoony body stumbling about as it beelined straight for him. As it came closer he could make out that the mismatched toon's head was also disfigured, the mouth grotesquely stretched into an exaggerated leer. From what was becoming instinct now Bendy lashed out with the plunger, remembering too late how ineffective the thing was when the warped toon stumbled back a few steps before advancing again, hands swiping at the devil. For an instant Bendy froze, stumbling a step back as the need to run overrode the desire to continue forward. Albeit the warped toon hardly gained ground, as the pipe swung and knocked it across the room. The impact with the floor caused it to reel about, disorientated, though Boris quickly met it with another strike the second it came too close.

The sight of the body juddering apart into loose ink was both a balm and more than a little disturbing to watch given that Bendy couldn't help the brief thought that asked if that would happen if they were to be hurt badly enough. The smaller toon shook his head, pushing the notion to the back of his mind as he hurried forward to the piping station on the wall, Boris quickly following behind. Bendy paused in front of the wheels, tucking the first power core under his arm and willing himself to calm down a little more before beginning to fiddle with the valves. The devil couldn't help a momentary flinch as the squeaking sounds started up again in earnest, ringing out far too loudly in the yawning quiet. Even with the hum of the machinery in the background it was far too noisy, Bendy's tail lashing about with agitation as his brow started to dribble ink. No, no, he needed to focus, needed to _calm down, come on you jittery little burden, where's the bravado from before? Need I remind you it's not just your safety on the line here?_

"Bendy?" The whisper was almost so quiet that Bendy might not have picked up on it if it didn't feel like his senses had been dialed up to eleven in his anxiety. The devil jumped, shoulders scrunching as he peered behind to see Boris looking at him with an attempt at a grin, though the faintest edges of tense fear were poking through.

"'salright, 'm here with you. An' I got your back, jus' take care'a th' wheels."

Despite the quietness, the calm, lightly bolstering tone added some steel to the smaller toon's spine, Bendy giving a small grin and a nod before turning back to the valves. Even though he couldn't help a wince as it continued to grind with every turn, the devil simply focused on getting the task done, to get the levels of liquid right at the dots. Eventually the wheels stopped with a click, the panel to the left opening to reveal another power core. This time Boris reached over and grabbed it, tucking it under his own arm to match Bendy.

"C'mon, we prob'ly gotta get movin' b'fore somethin' shows up." Bendy pointed out, pie-cut eyes peering about at what he could see of this room and the ones beyond the glass windows. Boris gave a nod, falling into step next to Bendy as they exited the small animation workroom. The devil didn't try to go quicker, keeping close to the wolf as the pair went back through the hallway and out the door. It also didn't escape Bendy's notice how Boris moved to block the smaller toon from the ink pool at the end of the still-flooded hallway. The devil didn't say anything but couldn't help but feel some relief at the tangible back-up.

The toons went up a few flights before reaching a landing that Boris abruptly paused on, a hand reaching out to Bendy's shoulder. When the smaller toon turned to look, he caught sight of a pipe running from the ceiling to the floor, obviously one of the ones pumping ink throughout the building. The difference was that this one actually had a valve on it. The wheel was somewhat streaked with black, but what caught the devil's curiosity was what would happen if the wheel was turned? Would it cut the ink flow to somewhere?

Boris it seemed wanted to find this out as well, though the taller toon took the more direct approach of actually reaching out to turn the valve himself. The wheel remained stuck under gloved fingers before it gave with only a small squeak, Boris turning it for a good minute before it stopped. As the wolf turned back to look, Bendy was already listening for a sound, anything from a change in the grinding machinery to the clattering of something coming to get them, but there was nothing to be heard. At least, nothing that was different from before.

Waving off the apologetic look from Boris, Bendy simply shook his head with a 'don't worry about it' sort of air, pointing in the direction of the stairwell going up. The wolf nodded, and the pair continued, right up until they got to the next level. Though the devil was somewhat glad that the next piping station was right next to the door, the fact that the nearest booth was in the next room put him on edge. However, Bendy reasoned that that was all the more reason to get this done as quickly as possible, the devil turning to the valves and getting to work. Keeping a careful eye on the levels inside, Bendy moved the wheels as rapidly and carefully as he could with one hand, the other still holding onto the previous valve and the plunger. It didn't really help that apart from the echo of ink dripping and machinery whirring away there was barely any sound, the devil even glancing back at Boris just to be sure he wasn't alone. The wolf silently met his gaze with a reassuring grin, hands still wrapped around his own power core and the pipe as he kept quiet. Though Bendy immediately turned back to the valves, he couldn't help but wonder if Boris staying quiet earlier, coupled with the wolf's unthinking sneaking about, was a behavior he had inferred from the environment, or one he remembered from sometime before.

Not that Bendy really had much time to think, the levels of liquid matching each other with a click and opening the metal panel to the left. However, this presented the devil with another problem; how on earth was he going to be able to grab this thing with an arm already full? Regretfully, Bendy ended up putting both the plunger and the other power core on the floor, standing on his tip-toes to grab the new one.

Just as Bendy reached in and yanked out the metallic cylinder, his head abruptly felt like someone had soaked it in gasoline and set it alight. Even as he shakily picked up the plunger, the devil's head turned to where the flooded hallway was, and he caught sight of something stepping out from the right into view. It was much, much taller than any of the other monsters that Bendy had seen, and through blurred vision he could make out that the room seemed to grow darker around it, black trails spiraling out over the walls and the floor. In fact, the thing's frame was so tall Bendy was sure the only toon he knew that matched it was Boris. The lack of white around its head was a dead giveaway that this was something else, though it did look like the thing was wearing very grimy, streaked overalls.

It all kind of looked like-.

"S-Sammy?" Bendy didn't even realize that he'd whispered the name out loud, until Boris made a noise from behind him that would have sounded like an equal part incredulous and completely shocked 'what' if it wasn't garbled by fear.

The mere hint of noise caused the thing, Sammy, to suddenly jerk, the whirling black patterns suddenly gaining an agitated edge as the tall frame surged forward. A low rumble of a noise like a growl began to reverberate up the hallway, Bendy freezing as he felt drops of ink patter down onto his head from the ceiling. Somehow, even though the man-turned-ink-monster was only close to six feet, it felt like something much bigger was coming up the corridor. Bendy felt like an ant in the path of a running human, wanting to close his eyes or run but unable to do much more than stare as Sammy, or the thing wearing what was left of Sammy, ambled forward with its hands outstretched. The devil distantly noticed that the inky hands of the music director almost looked misshapen, the pinkie on one hand entirely gone while the others looked like they were missing the top part or even were down to the second joint. The ink on the music director's head and shoulders was bubbling as though it were under a hot lamp, almost like it was liquifying under some unseen strain.

Bendy considered it extremely lucky that he didn't drop either the power core or the plunger when Boris grabbed the devil and took off out the door and down as many flights of stairs as he could before he found a Lil' Miracle Station, hauling both himself and Bendy inside. The wolf fumbled for a few moments trying to get everything set down without dropping anything or making noise, but he somehow managed, right before he realized that Bendy had not made a sound. The devil's eyes were wide, ink dribbling from his brow in a worrying amount of rivulets.

"Bendy?" The taller toon whispered, not daring to raise his voice any higher than he had it at the moment. Still, the devil didn't answer, breathing so shallow that Boris tugged off his glove with his teeth and checked with his hand. The sudden presence of a hand right in front of his face made Bendy blink, drawing back into his coat as he snapped out of whatever daze he was in.

"B-Boris?" The devil mumbled, gaze unfocused as his pie-cut eyes traveled from the hand to the toon it was attached to. A wane smile formed on the canid muzzle, Boris waving a little in front of Bendy's face, causing the smaller, pale features to loosen before the devil simply let his head clunk against the wolf's chest and his arms came up to desperately cling at the taller frame. Not that Boris was in any mood to complain, immediately hugging Bendy back. The pair sat in silence for a while, and Bendy gave a deep sigh as the pain in his head began to abate, his frame relaxing in its absence.

He'd very nearly let his mind wander into the territory of 'relief' when Boris spoke up, voice hushed and more than a little hesitant.

"B-Bendy…righ' b'fore…when y'called it…y-you didn' mean…"

The little devil felt tension scrunch up the muscles in his shoulders and head, though he knew that if he tried anything to not have this conversation he'd regret it more in the long run. Boris wasn't going to simply stop asking, and if he brushed the question off it might push the wolf to do something dangerous to see if the dawning realization was in fact true. Still, where even did he start with this mess…? For that matter, what the hell even happened to Sammy, if that was indeed still the music director?

None of those answers Bendy had, but he knew that for the moment they weren't important. Boris needed to know, now that it had been thrown out in the open like this. Even still, the earlier stress coupled with the dread of what he would have to now talk about briefly stopped up the small toon's voice, vocals warping as he tried to speak.

"I-It was…It's Sammy, 'm so sorry, I didn' wanna….didn' want you t'…" Do what? Run off? Scare him? Boris didn't say anything, arms slackening a little though whether or not it was from shock, or perhaps disgust, the devil couldn't say. Bendy swallowed down the brief burst of dread he felt at the thought and continued, opting this time to just state what happened. Boris didn't need to hear his half-baked excuses.

"I was down in th' music department, I fell-I thought maybe I could get out through the stairs, bu' they were flooded, so I was tryin' t'get inta Sammy's office. Took a bit, but there were all these inky monsters that popped up nearer t'th' end, an' I saw someone that was sittin' up in one of the booths, above the big orchestra room."

"The recording studio." Boris interjected in a distant whisper, tone completely devoid of anything that would tell Bendy what the wolf was feeling regarding this, the devil not daring to look up to see. Even though an insidious little whisper in the devil's mind murmured about _why should he even trust you why should anyone trust you_ _ **LORD**_ _?,_ Bendy continued.

"Y-Yeah, th-that was…there was someone up there, an' they were jus' starin' as I was fightin' off those things. Didn' say a word, but they were covered in ink an' were wearin' a mask of my face. I kinda lost track of 'em after I ran outta there, but…when I was goin' t'leave, I got whacked upside the head. Next thing I know, I'm tied t'a pole with th' guy kneelin' in front'a me. An'…" Bendy swallowed, forcing himself to continue speaking even though this part, this memory had piled in with the others, the declarations, the writing, the statues, the cutouts, _what are you trying to make me Joey and am I still gonna be me when you're done?!_

"H-He started talkin', 'bout how I was gonna be somethin' big, a-an' powerful, an' set everyone free, he said. B-But, when I was listenin' t'his voice, I…I realized who it was, I asked t'make sure, and he said it, he said he was Sammy." Bendy stopped himself there, not wanting to go into the jar, the ink contained within and how it had pulled at him like metal to a magnet. That…that wouldn't matter to Boris right now. And, though Bendy had stopped talking, the wolf hadn't replied, silent and still with his arms now wrapped loosely round the smaller toon's frame. Ink dripped from Bendy's brow as he waited for Boris to say something, even if it was the worst-case scenario of throwing him out of the booth and why wouldn't he, this cult-worship bunk for the little devil had gotten Sammy and loads of others dead and worse for crying out loud!

"I…'m sorry, Boris. I-I didn'…I didn' mean for any'a this t'happen. 'm sorry." When a few more seconds passed by with nothing, Bendy tried again. "I-I can leave y'be for a bit, if you-."

The moment that Bendy made to move, maybe to push open the door to the booth and slip out, Boris gave a choked gasp and immediately wrapped the devil's frame in a constricting squeeze, pulling the smaller frame into the wolf's lap.

"N-No! Don' go, Bendy, please don'. You run off an' you'll end up like him an' I can't, I can't lose you too, Bendy-." The rushed flood of words all spilled out somewhere in the span of a minute, Bendy left blinking and more than a little shocked in their wake. But Boris wasn't quite done, gasping sobs starting to take hold as the stunned silence broke apart into fresh tears. "Y-You'd end up jus' like…j-jus' like…"

Bendy looked at the wolf's face just in time to catch Boris mouth Sammy's name, emotion choking off the sound as the lankier body tried to draw in like it had been dealt a physical blow. The overall-strapped shoulders shook as tears poured down the canid muzzle, Boris's sobbing finding its way into the undercurrent of sound that ground at a constant hum around them. With little else to do, Bendy flung his arms around the broad shoulders in a hug, one small gloved hand starting to knead at the back of the wolf's head while the other simply wrapped around Boris's shoulders.

They stayed there for a while, pipe and plunger to one side with the three power cores tucked about on the other, Bendy twisted about to keep hugging Boris as his fingers carded through the fur on the wolf's head. The little toon knew he'd kept talking, though he didn't recall specifics. Reassurances that he was not going anywhere, with apologies sprinkled throughout, all generally laid out around whatever soothing white noise that came to mind. Minutes slid by as the sobs trickled down to sniffles and then quiet, if somewhat nasally breaths as Boris's tight hold on Bendy's coat grew somewhat slacker, the wolf still hunched around the smaller toon. The devil let it continue for a few minutes before he had the uncomfortable realization that if Boris fell asleep like this, the slightest bit of movement would send them falling off the bench. So, despite wanting the wolf to rest, Bendy ended up tapping Boris on the shoulder, rewarded when the taller toon gave a snort and straightened, bleary, dark eyes coming into view as Boris leaned back to look at Bendy in askance.

"Wassa'matter?" The wolf slurred out as a gloved hand came up to rub at his eye.

"Jus' wanted t'make sure y'weren't about t'fall asleep on me, pal, y'know I can't carry you. You can sleep if'n you want, Boris, jus' lean back, alright?"

"N-No." The taller toon stammered through a yawn, trying to stretch without much success in the cramped confines of the 'Little Miracle Station'. "We should get goin', prob'ly not a good idea t'jus' sit around in here."

Which was fair, but it felt a little wrong coming from the wolf who'd just been using the devil as both a pillow and a teddy bear, not to mention everything that came before the lull. Still, Bendy could definitely say he was looking forward to getting this done as soon as possible, even if he felt like he'd be wanting to keep a closer eye on Boris for a bit. The wolf had just learned that the guy that taught him pretty much everything he knew was…well, gone, and while Bendy couldn't blame Boris for wanting to get the heck away from Sammy, if that still was Sammy, the devil didn't think he was liking how fast Boris was trying to get going.

Granted, what if it was Henry? The thought made Bendy pause for a moment as he and Boris were gathering up the power cores and makeshift weapons, the question repeating itself a little louder as though the devil were internally hard of hearing.

 _What if it was Henry?_

As he picked up the plunger and a power core, Boris already having grabbed two, Bendy ruminated that, well, there'd probably be a few things he'd do. All in all though, he'd just end up having to carry on. Like Boris was trying to do, it seemed.

 _I can't lose you too, Bendy!_ Boris had said. The wolf needed him, that much Bendy was sure. In a whirling, uncertain situation when it came to all the others he'd been close to throughout his sparse life, this was the only grounding point now. For at least the last decade on the streets, it had just been him, and while his own survival was motivating, it had been losing a lot of its driving appeal over the years. After all, he'd run from his friends and home, he had nowhere he could go, no one to turn to, with the added weight of keeping his very existence a secret. Thirty years later he couldn't help but wonder what the point was, why was he still doing what he was doing? Had there even been a point?

Well, now there was, in his best pal. Boris, the last of the people that had cared about him. The one Bendy had been greeted with when he'd first come into this hellhole, dead and torn open, died terrified and in agony.

He'd gotten a second chance with his pal, and Bendy certainly wasn't about to blow it. Boris would be getting out of this studio if it was the last thing the toon devil did. Glancing up at the wolf as the pair were heading up the stairs, Bendy noticed that the earlier caution was dulled. Boris's ears were tucked down and his eyeline had dropped to the stairs but seemed to see somewhere beyond it, another place and time. Tears were building at the corners of the wolf's pie-cut eyes, though Boris blinked hard and the wetness vanished. Still, his ears didn't perk back up and his tail was pressed close to his legs, the expression on the taller toon's muzzle still a few inches away from crumpling with grief again. Even though Bendy's hands were about as full as Boris's currently were, the smaller toon still felt the need to do something, anything.

Going up the next flight of stairs bought them to a landing with another piping station on the far wall, Bendy looking at it for a moment before peering up at Boris. The wolf's eyeline lowered from the pipes to the devil's gaze, the pair simply staring at each other for an instant before Bendy tried to give a smile.

"I'll take care of it, pal, it's fine." The wolf blinked at the whispered proclamation before he reached out to Bendy with a word of his own.

"An' I'll hold onto that for you, Bendy. Do whatcha gotta do."

Nodding in reply, Bendy let the taller toon snag ahold of the power core under his arm, adding it to the two he currently had before taking up a spot next to the panel so he could see both up and down the stairwells. Bendy only hesitated a moment before going to work on the valves, only wincing a little now at the squealing of the metal and simply concentrating on the levels of the liquid in the pipes and getting them to where they needed to be. Minutes later the panel clicked open, swinging open as Boris quickly pushed himself off the wall and immediately reached in to grab the power core, gasping a little as the thing sparked before finally coming loose. Bendy leaned away from the shower of electric sparks, lowering an arm he'd lifted to shield his face once Boris had taken the core and tucked it away with the others. Taking a deep breath, Bendy mulled over what to say before the realization that if he didn't speak now he might not have the chance to later spurred him to speech.

"Boris, 'm sorry."

The whispered apology, though a bit out of the blue, caused the wolf to pause. However it was not the suddenness of it that caused the hesitation. Kneeling, Boris took a moment to make sure he was keeping a good hold on the power cores before giving his reply.

"Bendy. I said this wasn' your fault, an' I still mean it. S-Sammy wouldn'a blamed you, an' I'm not gonna either." Even though tears did spring up again at the music director's name, the wolf pushed them back and instead let a warm smile take root. Though Bendy understood the sentiment, he couldn't quite get a grin of his own to come, instead looking down to the floor.

"Still, y'should…this isn't…it's not, right." The smaller toon eventually forced out, feeling woefully unable to address the new wound to his friend. He didn't really know how to begin talking about it, didn't know how he could help, and wasn't sure he even could given that it was…was his _ **fault**_ , in a way. At least, that's how it felt to Bendy. Sammy didn't ask for this, no one had, and because of…everything, cult worship and all, a lot of people were now…

"I know. I know it's not. But, Bendy…" Boris started, continuing once the devil had looked up at the sound of his name. "…please don' be blamin' yourself, this isn' your fault."

"Alrigh'." Bendy replied with a shrug, though he definitely didn't feel any less responsible. With the conversation trailing off into silence, the pair hurried up the stairs to the next level.

The catwalk room looked pretty much the same as they'd left it last time, though Bendy couldn't help but notice a new ink slick on the stairs and catwalk as they were heading up. The devil looked about for any sign of something that could have left the trail, but there was nothing. The room was almost…quiet, if it weren't for the faint sounds of machinery grinding away in the small hallway leading out to the rest of the level. Despite his suspicions, Bendy was hardly about to look a gift horse in the mouth, quickly getting set up with Boris at the top of the stairs and going to work on the valves while the wolf kept watch. Thankfully, with all of the practice Bendy had gotten on the lower levels, this one went without a hitch. After they'd pulled the last power core from the panel, the faint crackling of the intercom cutting on caused the pair to pause, right as 'Alice' spoke up.

 _ **"You're quite the efficient little errand boy, aren't you? Return to me. Try not to die on the way back.**_ "

The somewhat flippant dismissal caused the devil's pie-cut pupils to roll skyward as he restrained himself from yelling something at the intercom, or giving some kind of rude gesture in the direction of the elevator. Besides, Boris seemed to notice the mounting, frustrated tension in the devil's frame and quickly reached out to ruffle in between Bendy's horns in an effort to calm the devil down some. Though the smaller frame stiffened for a moment at the contact Bendy did untense, tail giving a calmer flick as his temper cooled. A deep breath, and he peered up out from under Boris's hand, giving a thumbs-up that made a smile flicker over the wolf's features. With the five power cores in tow, the pair headed down the stairs.

Suddenly Boris's ears perked up, having heard something that sounded a little off from the grinding machines upstairs and the faint dripping of ink. A slithering noise that was coming from underneath the stairs.

The wolf looked down just in time to see something, much larger than one of the half-formed monsters slide out from under the bottom step. Bendy had heard the noise and had already started to turn though by then Boris was already moving, leaping over the rising frame and using his momentum to push Bendy to the right and stagger to the left. At the same time, the monster's momentum carried it to be smack in between the pair, pushing itself up on its arms and revealing a white spot on its chest. It was the monster that had been following Bendy since he'd turned on the ink machine, the monochrome one.

"Oh, that is not fair." Bendy found himself murmuring from the floor, immediately regretting his decision to speak as the thing's head snapped to look in his direction, ink splattering against the floor and narrowly missing Bendy's legs and tail. Almost in the same instant the monster moved, Boris started to holler from the wall he'd backed himself into.

"H-Hey, don' go near him! You leave him alone!"

The words had even more of an impact than Bendy's, the monster's head whipping about to look at Boris. The wolf's voice disappeared in a quiet choke as he found himself the creature's new target, pressing himself back into the wall as it began to completely turn his way. Reaching out, the overlarge inky hand just missed Boris, who pushed his frame to the left with a yelp.

"Boris!" Bendy hollered at the same instant, realizing what Boris himself noticed only a few seconds later; the taller toon had thrown himself right into the corner, and the monochrome monster easily closed the escape Boris could have made for the door. With the way out cut off, the wolf backed up into the nook, trying to raise the pipe to at least have a barrier between him and the monster. However, even if Boris didn't have the added weight of three power cores tucked messily under his arm, getting out of this would have been tricky at best. The monster reached out to Boris, ink starting to run from its head and face in thick, oozing drips as its hand closed around both the pipe and the wolf's fingers.

The moment the monster grabbed Boris, Bendy didn't think, barely considered the idea that he might be doing something very, very foolish. He simply acted, running into reach of the long, ink-dripping arms to ram the plunger into the monster's face, suction end first. Perhaps if he had more time and wasn't fearing for his and Boris's lives, Bendy might have considered the noise the thing made rather funny as it scrambled back on its rear with its arms flailing about, the handle of the plunger jiggling as the monster thunked into the wall. Kind of a mix between a gurgled yelp and a strangely-pitched squeak.

Once the threat was sufficiently pinned with what seemed like pure bewilderment and shock, the pair immediately grabbed the power cores along with their weapons and took off, running out of the room and down a flight of stairs. A faint, fleeting ache started to reverberate through Bendy's head, but it lessened the further away they got. It wasn't until they passed the door to Level 11 that the toons started to slow down, the reasoning somewhat split between the fact that making noise was still something they didn't want to do, and the fact that Boris could still easily beat Bendy in a footrace. The instant the wolf's ears picked up on the devil starting to wheeze a few paces behind him, he paused just long enough to wait for Bendy to catch up before carrying on at a quick walk. Though the wolf clearly wanted to keep going at a quicker pace, he didn't want to leave Bendy behind. And with his hands full, there was no way to pick up the devil and get the stairwells to fly by a little faster. Still, they eventually managed to make it down to the T-shaped hallway again, though Bendy caught sight of something off about the flooded area. Namely, it wasn't flooded anymore. Instead he could see a stairwell heading down…somewhere.

"Boris." Bendy whisper-called, though the wolf had already paused when he realized that the devil had stopped walking with him. The pair looked at each other, Bendy's eyes flicking from the newly-revealed stairwell to the power cores in their hands before taking a sliding few steps forward to see if he could make out anything from the top of the stairs.

"Looks like there's a room down there." The toon devil reported, noting the complete lack of movement from anything in said room, apart from maybe a drip or two of ink coming from the ceiling.

"Why'd'ya think the ink's gone?" Boris asked. However, Bendy had already thought of an answer.

"When y'turned the valve on that pipe up there, y'must've cut th' flow t'this room. An' then it jus' drained out." The devil couldn't see very much, apart from the edge of what looked like a table. There was no sign of anything living down there, and the smaller toon's mind also couldn't help but ask itself, why was this room flooded? Was it just to help make monsters, or perhaps to hide something?

Bendy took another step down, maybe the new vantage point would offer something new but…still nothing. He could see the table a little better, make out some stray puddles on the floor, but that was about it. A faint creaking heralded Boris following Bendy, the wolf's ears perking up to listen. The devil watched the taller toon's face, but there was no change, nothing that would indicate that Boris had picked up on something. The steps were somewhat warped, probably by the ink, groaning a little as the pair headed further and further down. All the while both were on high alert, peering about everywhere they could, even glancing back just to be sure nothing was behind them.

Eventually though the stairs ended, and both toons set foot into what looked like some kind of store room. Ink spotted the walls and floor, drips of the black murk even coming up off the ceiling. Though the only thing in the room, apart from some pillared supports running to the ceiling and a pipe or two along the wall, was the table that Bendy had noticed earlier. On the table a cassette deck sat, along with a book that had Bendy's cutout likeness on it and a can of bacon soup, as unassumingly as inanimate objects could, though Bendy's meager experience with electronics told him that the tape deck should not have been in workable shape after being submerged in ink, the book almost looking a little too dry. Still, he walked over and pressed the play button.

 _"Only two weeks into this company, and already it's gotten interesting. Joey is a man of ideas, and only ideas. When I mean to start this thing with him, I thought there'd be a little more give and take. Instead I give, and he takes. I haven't even seen Linda for days now. Still, someone has to make this happen. When in doubt, just keep drawing Henry. On the plus side, I got a new character I think people are going to love."_

The tape clicked off, Bendy staring at it for a long, long few moments. He hadn't heard Henry's voice in years, and the animator sounded so…tired. Worn down, exhausted, whatever the descriptor, Bendy didn't like it. It reminded him of a conversation he'd had with Joey, when the studio head had mentioned that Henry had been working himself rather hard lately, and that he worried for the animator's health. Joey had simply stated to the toon that they needed to keep Henry from adding to his workload, for the man's own good. Bendy couldn't really say that things hadn't changed after that, he still would stay in Henry's office during his downtime, but he…didn't talk with Henry like he had before. Didn't want to upset the man, simply speaking.

He never wanted to hurt Henry…

Bendy almost jumped at the sight of a shape on his right, though the familiar overalls immediately placed the figure as Boris. The wolf quietly stared at the cassette deck with a frown on his face. The taller toon reached out for the play button before his eyes flicked down to Bendy, almost as though asking permission. The devil couldn't really find it in him to smile, but he did give Boris a nod. Another click, and the recorded message started up again. Bendy just gave the words a long blink, letting the sound wash over him. The words were somewhat glossed over, the devil not really finding it in him to listen again, but the tone stuck and weighed on him just as heavily as it had before. Bendy, for a brief moment, let his eyes slide closed-.

 _-Trembling and afraid he pressed himself behind the desk, his refuge turned into a trap as the way out was blocked by a man. But Bendy knew this one, Joey'd brought him in the other night. Though what his name had been was completely escaping the devil in his colossal, teary-eyed panic. As the noise of the man came closer and closer, Bendy covered his head in preparation for more thrown objects and shouting, a strangled, watery whimper sliding out as he tried to hunker down as much as possible._

 _"Hey, hey now, it's alright." Came from somewhere over his head, the voice not sounding the least bit angry though somehow that was worse because Joey often didn't sound angry when he was and oh no what if he was about to get thrown away somewhere again-._

 _The rising panic was causing the toon's breathing to hitch as sobs forced their way from the tense little frame. However, the man hardly seemed openly upset by the poor turn, instead shifting so he could better see the devil, and tried again._

 _"Bendy, it's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." The weight put on the floorboards made them creak, the sound causing the small, behorned head to jerk up, eyes wild as they stared up at the much taller human. Both froze a little at the contact, Bendy a little confused by the look he saw sweep across the man's face before he schooled himself back into serene calm. He almost looked sad._

 _The devil jumped when the animator lowered a hand down to rest in front of him, fingers splayed with the palm facing the ceiling. A hiccup rattled its way through Bendy's frame as he looked from the offered hand to the man's face, trying to ferret out some hint of dishonesty or ill will hidden behind the blue eyes. The little toon couldn't spot anything, but his hand still hesitated before placing itself on the pale pink skin, almost jerking back before settling more surely at the center of the man's palm. The human kept his hand still, letting the upset but still curious devil explore the callused skin, and smears of ink running from pinkie to wrist. Once it seemed like Bendy had calmed down some, the animator spoke again._

 _"Want to come out? Can't be very comfortable under there, pretty sure it hasn't been cleaned in months." That seemed, fair, though when Bendy tried to move he found another problem. How ever he'd managed to fit himself back here, his foot was jammed on something and he couldn't twist around to see what it was without hurting himself. The end result was the devil fidgeting while pulling on his pinned foot, a new round of whimpering taking hold once Bendy realized he was well and truly stuck._

 _"Hey, hey, it's alright, here let me just…" The man trailed off as he considered the problem for a moment, before he reached up and grabbed hold of the wooden desk. As it was yanked further away from the wall the motions stirred up more dust, the plumes causing Bendy to give a squeaky little sneeze as he rubbed at his face._

 _"Alright, let's just get you out of there…" He could hear the man saying from overhead, and the little devil saw through a watery film the hand from before reaching out to him, a blink or two bringing the vision into clarity. This time, he didn't hesitate long before reaching out, small fingers wrapping around the larger digits as the animator gently eased the devil out._

 _"There, see? You're alright." And, lo and behold, the man's words were correct. Bendy peered about at himself, taking in his once-trapped foot and flicking tail, before looking back up at the animator to see the man quietly smiling down at him. The hand the devil had seen earlier gently reached over to tousle at the devil's nonexistent hair, Bendy himself being a little surprised at the gesture before he really drank it in, relaxing in steady waves. At least, until the man's fingers happened to brush the loose patch of ink the devil still had on the back of his head from the start of this whole venture, from when Joey'd…_

 _"Bendy, are you alright?" The worried tone caused the small toon to snap out of his tense thoughts to see the man's blue eyes go from his ink-stained hand to the devil's head, a distinct strain in his expression._

 _"Can I see where this came from?" Was the man's next question, Bendy thinking it over for a moment before giving a small nod and turning around so that his back was facing to the animator. He blindly felt about with a gloved hand for an instant, before the white fabric touched something wet and he gave a quiet murmur._

 _"Right here."_

 _"Alright." The animator replied, voice hardening enough to cause Bendy to jerk and peer behind him with apprehension, something that the human noticed and immediately eased up on his tone. "It's alright, Bendy, you're fine. We just…need to do something about that. Can you just sit up here please? I just need to find something."_

 _The indicated object was the animator's desk chair, Bendy easily clambering up and watching from his new perch as the man felt about at his pockets, mumbling quietly to himself as he did._

 _"Not there, not here, Ma's always getting on me to have these in the fall, where did I…? Here we are." The last was said as a bit of white cloth was finally drawn out of a back pocket with a flourish, the man's expression quietly triumphant before he addressed the waiting toon. "We're just going to try to clean up some of that ink. Just, Bendy, is there anything that Joey does for you when you get hurt? To make it better?"_

 _"I gotta drink ink." Bendy answered, the slightly louder tone drawing out a rasp in his throat from the earlier hysterics. "B-But I don' want it right now, it'll make me sleep, an' there's bad people outside! They were yellin' and throwin' things, an' what if they come in here?!"_

 _The last was said in a squeaky yelp of panic, the devil's body language tucking in again as even though the danger had not yet come Bendy still tried to make himself as small as possible. The animator recognized the fear, immediately kneeling down so he could be at eye level with the little toon._

 _"Hey, hey. Bendy, it's alright. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, okay? The people outside, they were just scared. I just need to talk to them and things should be fine. I promise, you're going to be alright." Pie-cut eyes scanned the man's face again, before the small head bobbed in a nod._

 _And it seemed as though the animator was going to get the opportunity to prove himself sooner than he'd thought, as suddenly voices started filtering into the animation department's foyer. It seemed to be only two people speaking, though for the moment Bendy became entirely stuck on the harsh, biting tones he could hear._

 _"No, I don't know where it came from, but I swear, Louie, you saw it, was like the little devil himself had just jumped up off the page!"_

 _"I know, Eddie, I know. Look around in here, it would not have gotten too far."_

 _"Y'think it might've gone through the door?"_

 _"Alright, then check down there too!" A pause, before. "Henry! Are you there?"_

 _The man, Henry, had turned to look in the direction of the hallway at the first hint of noise, calling back at the shouted question._

 _"Yeah, Louie, I'm here! Wait just a second, I'll be right out!" Though when Henry looked back at Bendy, who had started to curl up in the chair with fright as his breathing quickened, he hung back._

 _"Bendy, it's alright. No one's going to hurt you, I'm just going to…explain things to everyone out there. I'll be right back, just wait in here for me, alright?" For an instant, Bendy couldn't respond, entirely frozen with panic as he was. However, dark pie-cut eyes met blue, and the devil gave Henry a nod. Henry was about to leave when he realized that he still had the handkerchief, immediately handing it to Bendy._

 _"Just keep this over that cut, alright? We'll take care of it when I come back."_

 _Bendy gave him a nod, reaching back with the cloth to press it against the back of his head. Henry gave the devil a small, but warm smile as he turned to go out through the hallway. The devil waited a moment before hopping down and creeping closer to the door-._

-Who's Linda?" Boris asked, cutting the reverie short as Bendy snapped to attention at the sudden noise.

"Wh-What?"

"Henry said somethin' about a Linda. Here, listen." Boris reached out and pressed the play button again, and this time Bendy took in the words more so than the tone. This time, he noticed the name.

"I…dunno. Don' think Henry ever mentioned a Linda." Bendy wasn't sure what to make of the information, stuck between wondering if the fact that there'd been no mention of such a person meant that working under Joey had forced Henry to part ways with Linda, or if they had still been trying to see each other and Henry just didn't want to bring it up. Part of Bendy wondered if it was bad to hope it was the former, because then at least someone might have had a chance to have a life following this mess.

"It's…sorry, thought this was gonna help. Let's jus' get goin'." Bendy said into the silence, turning back to the stairs. The ink sodden steps were still clear of any monsters, and he couldn't see any hint of anything up in the hallway.

"It's fine, Bendy." Boris replied, though he remained quiet as they headed back up and down the staircase. The next few staircases were lackluster, until the pair got to the bottommost landing and stopped dead at the sight of something big and dark huddled close to the far wall. However, when moving landed a foot on a loose board, the resounding creak making the pair jump and seemingly causing the half-formed ink monster to…explode on its own? If Bendy had a neck, he was pretty sure he would have broken a vertebrate with how fast he turned to look at Boris, though the wolf hardly looked like he had any answers.

With nothing else to really add on that, and with the possibility of terrible things happening the longer they stayed where they were, the pair hurried on through to Level 9 proper, pausing only for a moment to figure out how Bendy was going to carry all five power cores down to 'Alice'. Though Boris pointed to himself in askance, Bendy gave the implied idea a firm shake of the head, a frown etched in his face at the thought of Boris getting anywhere near…that place, ever again. Eventually the compromise was for the wolf to carry them down the stairs and the devil to ferry them across the ink river to the chute. After a few tense minutes, it was done, both toons relaxing on their opposing sides of the bridge. Still, 'Alice' did not deem the devil finished, a new bit of instruction filtering through the aged speakers.

" _ **Have you seen them? The swollen ones! They're just stuffed full of extra-thick ink. It makes me sick! And yet…it's the perfect thing for keeping myself together. If you're going to catch them, you'll have to learn to move quietly. Come back to my door. I have something that you'll need**_."

For an instant, Bendy stood confusedly in front of the chute. Wasn't he already at the door? She didn't want him to go back in, all the way to her, did she?

But no, the sound of the other metallic chute spinning about to give the smaller toon something new hinted at where Bendy was supposed to go. Though when the devil drew up close to the thing, he was more than a little off-put by what he saw. It was a giant needle, kind of like what one would see in a cartoon except a little more realistic, the horror really setting in when the devil realized exactly what 'Alice' wanted him to do with it; hunt down monsters to get their ink. Shoving the quiet terror the thought brought back into his mind, Bendy reached out with hands that only shook a little and grasped the syringe, pulling it from its resting place. It was only after the panel had flipped back that the devil remembered that he'd lost the plunger, yet the thought seemed somewhat less of an issue in the face of what he was about to do.

Briefly as Bendy crossed the bridge on the way back he had the thought of…letting himself get worked up, maybe letting 'Alice' take some of that ink instead of putting Boris and him in danger while running after the monsters instead of away. However, the idea was quickly nixed as Bendy remembered that for starters Boris probably wouldn't let him do it, and 'Alice' might very well be able to tell the difference.

The wolf too looked a little sickened at the sight of the cartoonishly large needle, though the fact that one of his hands quickly moved to close into fist in front of his chest made Bendy gesture towards the elevator, a question in his eyes. Still, Boris shook his head, the devil not pursuing the issue until they were close enough to whisper to one another.

"You really don' have t'do this, Boris. You can wait for me in the elevator, or in one'a the Miracle Stations if y'really want to."

"N-No, 'm stayin' with you." Though Boris's voice had grown steadier by the end of his sentence, his eyes would not land on the syringe for more than an instant, always finding another spot to look away to. Though the fact that the wolf was trying to push his discomfort to the side bothered Bendy something fierce, the smaller toon couldn't help but note that Boris's help would probably get this done quicker. Not to mention, size difference kind of made it hard for him to actually herd the wolf anywhere safe. So, with that in mind he took a few steps back into the stairwell, and froze at the familiar dark shape hunkered down in the corner.

In the quiet and with the new angle, Bendy was able to get a closer look at the thing. It reminded him of the creature from the sewers under the music department. Resembling one of the half-formed monsters that they'd been seeing, but bigger, almost…swollen. Of course.

Bendy shifted a little on his feet, quickly reviewing in his head what 'Alice' had said. In order to catch these things, they had to not make any noise. That had been why it had cut and run before, the toons had made noise coming down the stairs. Reaching a little blindly behind him, Bendy found the fabric of Boris's overall leg, giving it a squeeze before letting go and taking a few, careful steps closer. There might have been the faint sound of a gasp coming from behind him, but ultimately Boris stayed quiet. The devil crept just a little closer, the faint sound of moaning began to drift within range of his hearing. The noise, almost humanlike, caused him to pause, something like ice settling in his guts as he remembered what 'Alice' had said regarding the ink, and fresh horror at both the memory coupled with what he was dealing with now really set in.

It suddenly hit home, harder than ever before, that this was a person. It might not remember who it had been, but every one of these half-formed monsters likely was someone who had worked at the studio. And 'Alice' wanted Bendy to smash them to bits while collecting their excess ink. Would what he was doing hurt them, would they even feel the pain? Was how they were now more painful for them in comparison to them breaking apart when he hit them? Unlike before, there was hardly any justification for it, as they wouldn't attack him or Boris and seemed more prone to running away. Did that mean they were aware…?

Abruptly the creature wheeled about, visionless face seeming to recognize Bendy as it started to creakily try to ease itself forward, almost as though its body was burdened by the ink unlike its lankier counterparts. Bendy, who had already taken a step back at the first sign of motion, felt a fresh, new terror wring his insides as noise crashed in on his eardrums.

" _ **Lord…lord…sssave pleassse…hurtsss, my lo-ord, ssset usss…free…"**_

Though the very hint of gurgled speech had caused Bendy's spine to tense, freezing the constricting of his insides as they seemed to congeal into one tense knot. The devil rammed the syringe out as the thing drew too close, the single hit sending it scattering into inky splatters. And, left in the center was a glob of rubbery ink though it took Bendy a moment to both realize what that was, and remember what he was supposed to do with it. The syringe pulled it in easily enough, though the fact that the toon devil's hands had started to shake again made actually sticking it with the needle a tricky thing. Once it was done though Bendy could easily say that in his heart of hearts, all he really wanted to do following that was to completely skip out on the whole thing and see if maybe he could just hide away somewhere and just not think.

The faint sound of creaking footsteps behind him made Bendy's shoulders stiffen again, but the whispered, familiar sound of his own name made him remember who else was there with him and relax. Despite Bendy not feeling like he was able to put on a proper smile he still turned to look at Boris, words of reassurance still ready even though the toon devil wasn't sure if it was only the wolf that needed the comfort.

"It's alright, pal. 'm okay."

Bendy could say that that was a lie, and he was pretty sure Boris knew it too. Still, the smaller toon did not want to have any sort of conversation regarding what had just happened, instead turning robotically for the stairs. He didn't move too quickly, definitely not willing to leave Boris behind even if the last few minutes hadn't just happened.

The pair moved up the stairwell, Bendy sticking close to the wolf's side and moving the syringe away from the taller toon when he caught sight of Boris glancing at it with apprehension. In doing so, Bendy noticed what looked like a gauge of some kind, showing him the inside of the syringe. He could see the small bit of viscous black ink that sloshed around in time with his step, but from the looks of things, he'd need to get…not a lot, but definitely a fair bit more. Unless 'Alice' didn't want him to fill it up though the devil really didn't see any reason why she wouldn't.

Thinking on that, at least, drew his mind away from what happened a mere few moments ago, and by the time the pair had gotten to the T-shaped hallway, Bendy felt calmer. At the very least, he was calm enough to be prepared when entering the offices on Level P brought him and Boris right to the back of yet another ink-logged monstrosity. It too was simply sitting there, faint noises like gurgling groans seeping from its murky throat. However, before Bendy could even figure out if he wanted to keep going with the task 'Alice' had set forward, the monster seemed to key into the presence of the two toons. At least the manner in which it suddenly turned, despite their silence, dragging itself around to their direction seemed to hint that way.

" _ **LORD**_ …" The voice had risen to a cry, crashing in loud on the toon devil's ears and causing him to take a step back. A hand closed over Bendy's shoulder, causing him to jump for a moment before something was flung over his head and smashed into the inky hulk. It was only after the object, the pipe, crashed to the ground that the smaller toon became aware than he needed to breathe, a gasp quickly alleviating the burning feeling in his lungs. Another deep breath, and he felt steady enough to open his eyes again, catching sight of a familiar glob of ink on the floor.

Well, if it was just going to sit there…

"Bendy?" Boris asked, the sudden sound causing Bendy to jump and look behind him to the taller toon.

"J-Jus' gonna go…get that…" The devil trailed off, turning distractedly back to the now-decimated monster and slipped away from the hand at his shoulder, even as something in him twisted at the worried grimace on Boris's face. It didn't take him too long to get the ink into the over-sized syringe this time, the motions a little bit easier now that he'd had a previous attempt under his belt.

The instant he was done, Bendy barely had a moment to breathe before a shock of pain knifed its way into the top-front part of his head. As his entire frame tensed in a gasp, pie-cut eyes blearily opened, looking in time with Boris as the pair turned to the hallway on the far side of the room. A hallway from which a familiar series of black, writhing marks were snaking out from.

Bendy had barely managed to push himself upright when Boris snagged ahold of his wits enough to leap into action, darting over to grab the devil and take off down the other hall. Bendy let himself focus on not dropping the needle as the wolf dashed to the left, in through the door, and hurried straight to the Miracle Station booth.

The noise of dripping ink sounded like a downpour as it came down from the ceiling, almost masking the faint whispers of a pair of legs as they dragged themselves across the floor. Neither toon dared to look, as all Bendy could do for the moment was bite down on his scarf to keep from crying out. And all Boris could really do was watch, pressing the smaller toon's frame to his chest. His hand automatically came up to rest on the devil's head to offer what comfort he could, though as the dripping ink and all that came with grew closer and closer, Boris found that he too was getting into trouble. The itching he had grown used to, even learned to ignore with Bendy in greater trouble, but the wolf's heart underneath the scar had started to pound with a little more than just fear. Even still, Boris tried to calm himself, the attempts at deep breaths not really sticking as his lungs began to strain for air. Somehow, the taller toon managed to not start gasping, his hand tensing on Bendy's head as his arm gave the smaller frame a reflexively tight squeeze. Boris could feel the devil jerk, his head moving under his fingers but with danger so close neither toon dared to make a sound.

And then it was gone. The dripping ink, darkness, the pain and suffocation, everything about the thing simply vanished as though it had never been. Of course the aftereffects did not leave quite so quickly, Bendy shakily wiping ink away from his face as Boris leaned back against the back of the booth, the wolf's lungs taking in great heaves of air as a hand clasped at his chest. It was a few moments before either was able to speak, though Bendy managed to recover enough to talk first.

"B-Boris?" It came out as a raspy murmur, but was audible enough for the wolf to hear. "Are you okay?"

All Boris could do was nod at first, his voice hidden in a wheeze.

"…fine…"

The whisper hardly did anything for Bendy's worry, the smaller toon reaching up to press a hand to what he could reach of the wolf's forehead. As Boris's breathing returned to a semi-normal rate, the taller toon leaned down a little, even as he tried to reassure the devil.

"Bendy, 'm fine, 'm okay now, really." A brief beat passed in which the wolf remembered that the devil had also been in some serious trouble nary a few moments ago, speaking up again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, pal, you on th' other hand, sounded like y'couldn't breathe!" The hiss made Boris wince, Bendy immediately softening his tone. "Sorry, Boris, 'm sorry. But…what happened? That didn't happen b'fore, did it?"

"I don' think so." Boris replied, continuing after another deep gulp of air. "Jus' felt like my heart started beatin' too fast, couldn't calm down…"

"Maybe you oughta have some ink…" The devil thought aloud, and though Boris could see where the smaller toon was coming from he was a little reluctant to simply drop off. Besides, the wolf had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't really injured. The thought caused an anxious thrill to run through Boris's mind, but somehow he didn't think he was too far off. However, Bendy took the taller toon's silence as something else, immediately starting to whisper.

"Boris, it's alright. If you're hurt we can…we can find other inkwells, it'll be fine. Whatever you need pal, don' worry about it."

Boris opened his mouth, wanting to say what was on his mind when it suddenly hit him how strange it sounded, causing the wolf to reverse his earlier decision.

"N-No, it's okay, I'll have some. Y'prob'ly should have some too though, Bendy. Y'don' seem to be doin' so great either."

Which, while Boris wasn't wrong as the smaller toon definitely had a look of drained exhaustion worn into his features, Bendy couldn't say he was particularly comfortable with the idea of them both being down for the count, and unaware if something tried to sneak up on them.

"Y-You take some first." Bendy said after a moment, fumbling about in the poor lighting to get at the inkwells in his pocket. He unwrapped two, easily picking out the one he'd drunk from before and giving that to Boris. Distracted by putting the stray inkwell back, Bendy glanced up a minute later and was quickly confused by the sight of the wolf putting the seemingly untouched inkwell down.

"Boris, did'ya actually drink any?"

"Yeah, yeah I did." The response was met with a thoroughly unconvinced stare, Boris's eyes rolling to look in a different direction as he continued to speak. "Jus' didn' take a lot, y'said b'fore we might not be able t'get anymore inkwells…an' we should be careful with what we've got…"

"Boris. If y'need th' ink, y'need th' ink. We'll figure somethin' out, alright?" And with that, Bendy reached down and picked up the inkwell that Boris had set down, placing it back in the wolf's hands. The taller toon looked from the small glass to the stubborn frown set into the devil's face, the smaller toon's posture and expression brooking no debate on the subject. With a light sigh and wry smile, Boris took a longer draught of the dark liquid, though he still left just enough to constitute a mouthful for Bendy.

"You're not really givin' me much of a choice here, Ben." The wolf chuckled as he handed the inkwell to the smaller toon, shifting about so he could lean against the side of the booth.

"Yeah, 'cause someone's gotta look out for you y'big sap." The drained grumble teased another bit of chuckling from Boris, the wolf settling down and making sure Bendy was not about to slide off his lap. The pair sat in silence for a few seconds, before the ink in his system finally coaxed Boris into slumber, relaxed by the comforting weight of the little devil tucked up against his chest.

For a while, it felt like Boris was weightless, floating in darkness that both suspended and pulled his limbs downward in space. A rumble echoed from seemingly every direction, strangely soothing and…familiar to the wolf as he drifted. For a half-second, the taller toon thought that he could feel a long-fingered hand gently rubbing over his head, trailing down to rest just over his heart. Though the touch seemed more like an attempt at comfort it was eclipsed by a new sensation, a hum that vibrated through the wolf's very bones. His arms and legs felt stiff, almost numb and the faint twitches he managed to make just sent tingly shockwaves running up and down Boris's spine. Aches bloomed and quickly faded, his muscles zinging like they'd all been asleep. To get rid of the sensations, Boris tried to move, to get the ink flowing back into his limbs. The moment he did the weightlessness fell away, the tall toon only registering a falling sensation for just a half-second before he simply dropped…into himself? He didn't have very much time to think on it once he realized that he was under something, under water, and couldn't breathe-!

Limbs flailing, Boris managed to push himself upward, and broke through to the open air with a gasp. For a few horrible seconds he was completely disorientated, everything too sharp and there with the grinding roar of the ink machine running nary a few feet away, coupled with the fact that it was hemorrhaging ink like a stuck pig, flooding the room despite the shaft underneath. Enough liquid clung to the floor that the wolf was practically swimming in the stuff, shivering a little as he skittered to the wall, using that to push himself to his feet. Even still, his attempts at taking deep breaths were hampered by something tickling the inside of his throat, Boris erupting into a coughing fit that only ended after a glob of ink had left his mouth to join the shin-deep flood. Taking in deep, gasping lungfuls of air, Boris stared down at the black-coated floor, the sight finally processing along with the realization that he'd been submerged in the stuff hitting home, along with-.

 _-his breathing labored, eyes rolling as pain made the room around him swim. Boris just barely registered the sensation of the cloth gag being pulled away from where it had been wrapped around his jaw, eyes coming back into focus just in time to see Joey carelessly toss it to the side. The wolf couldn't help the whimper that slid from his throat, the sound drawing his creator's attention back to him._

" _I didn't think you'd still be awake, Boris. We're almost done, though."_

 _Joey sounded so calm, like Boris had just been helping with moving things around an office or working with the animators and musicians on a short. As the toon's head lolled, the resistance of the cloth gone, his eyes caught sight of a splash of white against his chest which confused him at first until it finally clicked as to what he was staring at. They were eerily white, sticking at odd angles, and as Boris labored to breathe, they moved along with the rhythmic motion. The rising and falling grew faster and faster as his breathing grew faster and faster._

 _Those were his ribs. He could see his own ribs._

 _A hand suddenly slid under his head, the fingers sticky as they ruffled the toon's fur in a somewhat clumsy gesture of comfort. Boris jerked at the sudden contact, eyes immediately snapping to stare up at Joey as the man gazed impassively down at him._

" _No need for panic, Boris. This will be over soon."_

" _J-Joey…" Immediately after speaking Boris wanted to close his mouth and stop talking because all he could taste and smell is ink, and that mixing with the sensations of pain roiling through his body coupled with air getting into where it shouldn't be able to made him want to be sick. All the while his thoughts whirled dizzyingly, that his creator, his own creator, Bendy had been right, Boris should have listened, Alice what about Alice, what about Henry, what about Sammy, would they know, would Joey even tell them, no no no he didn't want to die, please Joey don't…_

" _J…Joey…" Boris wheezed as fear and pain seized his mind. "Pleas', Joey, don'…I don' wanna die, you're hurtin' me, pleas'…"_

 _He felt like he'd said something like this…before he'd woken up. He'd panicked when the pain started to register and tried to tell his creator to stop. Joey'd just bound up his jaw and kept going. Which made Boris not surprised, but no less afraid when the studio head simply leaned in and spoke in an undertone reserved only for when someone had really gotten on his nerves._

" _Boris, I will not be allowing you to die. Shame on you for even thinking it. If you'll just calm down, we can get this done much faster."_

" _J-Joey, pleas'-!" The wolf tried again, limbs shifting weakly against the straps binding them to the slab, but his strength had run out along with his ink. And Joey had run out of patience._

 _Boris choked on a yelp as the studio head's hand suddenly wrapped around his muzzle, forcing his head back and stretching his abused body with it. He only had a moment to acclimate before a new sensation forced itself to the forefront of his concerns, namely that Joey's other hand had slipped into his chest cavity, the none-too-gentle fingers causing agony to arc through the lanky canine frame._

 _Pie-cut eyes flew open as something, something that was beating frantically against his insides, was seized and_ _ **PULLED**_ _-_

-a gasp wrenched itself from Boris's throat, his lungs feeling like they were drowning even though he'd already coughed up all the ink. Clinging to the wall, the toon was drawn back into the present by small twinges of pain at his chest, quickly looking down to see that one of his hands had clenched right over the spot where he'd seen-.

Boris wrenched his hand away, looking down just to confirm that he couldn't see anything other than black fur, no ribs, nothing that shone with loose ink or…anything other than fur. Still, the thundering roar of the Ink Machine, coupled with the loose ink everywhere was making the wolf edge closer and closer to that suffocating panic. It reminded him too much of…the table, his own ink splattered everywhere, Joey, looking down and seeing white where there should not have been, _**Joey**_ -.

Legs shaking, Boris sloshed through the floods, somehow climbing the ladder to get to the door. He nearly raced out into the hall before a noise at the periphery of his hearing made him stop. It had almost sounded like something had shuffled through the liquid somewhere but even with the corridors filling up with dark ink the wolf could see nothing.

It didn't take him long to move on, the rumble of the ink machine forcing him down the corridor to the main foyer of the animation department. At least, Boris thought it was the foyer. Everything had been changed, most of the furniture and desks gone and the spots that weren't covered in ink looked like they were caked with dust. The feeling extended to the air, a musty smell that Boris could just barely pick up under the reek of ink.

It suddenly struck the toon that even with the ink machine rumbling through the walls, he'd never really been in the studio when it was this quiet before. Usually someone was here, whether it be some of the animators hoping to finish a few frames before the deadline or Wally cleaning something up. Now…

…it almost seemed like the place had been abandoned, and somehow Boris had been left behind. Because he had been…because Joey…

No, no no no, he didn't want to think about it.

Boris moved a little quicker, down towards the exit, and nearly fell into a chute right in front of the door. This…this was definitely new…

Peering down into the darkness, Boris tried to gauge how far down it went. He could see what looked like a lit space down at the bottom, but not much else. His mouth opened for an instant, about to perhaps call down, but he couldn't bring himself to break the almost hush. It suddenly struck the wolf that he couldn't get out. He could maybe jump to the other side of the chute but he would need someplace to jump to, as the other side was dominated entirely by the wall and the door with not a bit of floor to speak of.

Boris peered about, from the space downward to the space beyond, ears lowering against his head as his thoughts whirled about with what to do next and came up with nothing. He had no idea where to go, or what to do. Or even if there was anyone he could go to.

Suddenly the wolf's ears perked up, catching a sound that was fainter than the rumble of the ink machine but higher pitched enough that it stood out. At first, Boris wasn't even sure what he was hearing, though he did realize that the sound seemed to be coming from down under him somewhere. Leaning towards the chute, Boris turned his head left, then right, trying to see if there was a difference. He couldn't tell much about how far away the source was, but something about it rang familiar, something about the tone…

The noise suddenly rose, and Boris was able to figure out two things. One, he realized that the sound was someone screaming, and he knew who it was. Boris hadn't heard this particular voice in so long, but given that he'd been accustomed to it practically his whole life…

It was Bendy. Bendy was down there, and from the sounds of things he was in trouble. The thought made Boris freeze for an instant as he tried to figure out what was under him. He was in the animation department, and the chute had to be long enough to go down at least three floors. That meant that…

Immediately after the realization kicked in, Boris pushed himself up, feet staggering around on the wet floor before he took off to the other end of the animation foyer. He didn't know what was going on, or how he was still here after…everything, but if there was one thing that Boris would say that he did know it was that Bendy was in the studio, and he needed help.

Stymied for a second by the sealed door at the far end of the room, Boris rammed his shoulder against it twice before the lock gave out, letting him into a stairwell. Taking the flight heading down, Boris went past two floors before he went through another door, heading to where he knew the elevator was. The cage looked a lot different than he remembered, the metal having gone creaky with age. Still, it closed, and when Boris managed to find the right button it slid downward well enough, squeaking a little in the shaft. As he reached the music department, Boris pulled the gate open and stepped off just in time to hear a door slam somewhere around the corner. Nary a moment passed before he heard another door close, a lot quieter this time, with what sounded like someone breathing heavily. Distracted by the racket, Boris didn't realize that the spot he was putting his hand was occupied, accidentally knocking a can to the floor. As it rolled out into the room proper the tension snapped, with a hoarse, familiar voice sounding from around the corner.

"Who's there?! C'mon out, whoever you are, where I can see you!"

Even though Boris had the feeling that it had been far, far longer than he'd thought, he still knew that voice.

"Bendy?" Walking around the corner though, yielded a very different image than the one the wolf remembered. Bendy was wearing a little more than the usual white bowtie, the familiar garment possibly under a combination of an old, oversized coat and worn scarf. The little devil's face was far more careworn than Boris remembered, dark rings under the smaller toon's pie cut eyes and a strained grimace twisting his expression, making it almost look like Bendy was baring his teeth. The other piece to the image that Boris zeroed in on was the fact that the toon devil had an axe held upright and ready to swing. And, despite the worry warring with complete relief in the wolf's mind, he was acutely aware of the fact that Bendy wasn't lowering it.

"Bendy…" The name he couldn't help but slip out, Boris so completely relieved that, firstly, the devil was alright, and secondly that someone was here besides him, that he wasn't alone. However, as he stepped forward, the scene started to change. Suddenly, they were in Henry's office, with Bendy standing next to the desk and a small cloth sack filled with several inkwells and an apple. Even as on some level his mind wondered at the shift, Boris found his mouth moving, Bendy's expression turning resigned before the first syllable was out of his mouth.

"I-I'm…I dunno, Bendy, I jus' don'…don' think…"

"It's okay, Boris."

"Huh?" The wolf asked, not understanding.

"Y'don' havta come. But I…I still gotta go. Somethin's…I can't stay here." Bendy turned to tie up the little pack, his voice slightly warbling despite the attempt at calm.

"Bendy, I don'-why d'ya havta go, y-you can jus' wait, Henry'll be here in the morning-."

"No!" The devil blurted, jumping a little at the volume of his voice before lowering it again. "L-Look, I can't…I don' even know how t'explain, but I…I can't…I jus' gotta go!"

Mood wound up by the half-conversation, Bendy quickly grabbed his pack, and raced past Boris before the wolf could stop him. Turning, a cry to halt lodged in his throat as the office changed, becoming finer, bigger, and hauntingly familiar.

Bookshelves lined the walls, and a candle or two was lit on a side table. But the focus was entirely on an ornate wooden desk sitting in front of a set of thick curtains that blocked the early morning view through the window. And, sitting in a chair with his fingers steepled was Joey Drew, peering through his glasses at the pair as they stood on the other side of the imposing desk like two children called before a principal.

"Do the two of you know why you are here?" The studio head asked, the pair looking between each other not out of askance, but more than slight trepidation. Boris felt his ears lower, his tail tuck close to his legs as his shoulders hunched and hands clenched at his sides. He knew exactly why, he'd been the one to touch the books. Bendy had tried to stop him but by the time the devil had been able to get in a word, Boris had already snatched a volume off the shelf. He'd put it back quickly upon hearing from the smaller toon that Joey didn't like people messing with his things, but it seemed the damage had been done. He'd only been alive for one week and already he'd made a mistake, and now-.

"It was my fault." Bendy abruptly said, the sudden speech snapping Boris out of his anxious thoughts and drawing the attention of both the wolf and the studio head across the desk.

"What was your fault?" Joey asked, voice mildly questioning, and perhaps a little surprised. Still, Bendy persisted, quickly speaking up.

"I was th' one that touched th' books. It was a mistake. I'm…I'm sorry." The entire explanation almost read like a script, until the final apology. The somewhat halting note almost sounded like, even though Bendy knew that an apology would probably be expected, he knew it wouldn't really mean very much to Joey. The thought made Boris feel even more guilty, though he didn't speak up. Part of him wondered what exactly the devil meant by this, and another was thinking of a certain conversation he'd had with Joey the following morning after he'd been made.

" _The world can be a cruel place, Boris, and mistakes will not be tolerated. I am, however, willing to work with you, but I need your best efforts and cooperation. If I do not have that, then there is nothing that I can do to help you survive out there. Are we clear?"_

Of course the wolf had answered yes, the tone and the fact that he'd still been a little nerveless from waking up next to the thundering cacophony of ink machine cajoling him to agree. It was a similar sort of tone to the one he was hearing now, as the studio head got to his feet and walked around the desk, eyes focused on Bendy. The devil managed to stay mostly still, though he couldn't stop his tail from twitching close to his body with a quivering anxiety.

"Bendy, I am surprised at you. We have had conversations before this where I have told you the rules, and yet you disobey them." But Bendy hadn't, Boris had wanted to say, it was his fault. But the words stuck in his throat as Joey came around and gestured for Bendy to get up from his seat. Boris watched as the devil was herded into a corner of the room and told to stand there. Through some miracle Boris didn't completely stiffen with fright when Joey turned around, meeting his eyes with the same cool indifference he'd had when he told them to come into his office.

"You can leave, Boris." Was all Joey said, though when Bendy tried to turn to catch the wolf's eye the studio head had roughly turned the devil's head back to face the wall, a growling smatter of words audible to Boris's ears. He didn't register what they were before his nerves caught up with him, urging him out the door.

The next time Boris had been able to see Bendy he'd been sitting up with a plate of food he'd set aside for the devil after everyone had gone home and had stirred from a half-asleep slump against the table just in time to see the small toon stumble into the room. Bendy was walking like each step hurt, nearly collapsing into his chair with exhaustion and hunger, fingers shaking as he tried to reach for the plate Boris had left for him.

"Is that for me? Great, 'm starving." Was all Bendy had been able to get out before he'd preoccupied himself with shoveling the cold food into his mouth, completely forgoing the fork Boris had grabbed. Though the wolf hardly had the mind to point that out, instead taking in the bedraggled expression and drained slump in the smaller toon's face and frame, the normally lively spaded tail dangling over the chair as though even the involuntary movement took something out of Bendy.

"Bendy…" Boris asked, and would have thought the devil had missed hearing his name if he hadn't seen the manner in which the smaller toon's eyes flicked up to look at him, a grunt slipping out from a mouthful of chilled pork chop. "…'m, 'm sorry."

The halting, wretched apology caused the devil to pause in his meal, tired gaze fixing more readily on Boris as he really took in the wolf's expression. Given that Boris was sure he looked every bit as guilty and diminished as he felt, it certainly wouldn't be hard for Bendy to notice.

"'s okay, Boris. I didn' tell y'that th' books were off limits. It wasn' fair fer you t'get in trouble." Though the logic was sound, the wolf couldn't help but stand his ground on his point.

"I still, I shoulda said somethin'…"

"No. 's my fault, tha's…tha's th' truth…an' we're stickin' to it." Bendy interrupted, even as his volume dipped with the weight of the exhaustion pressing down on him. The small toon resorted to propping up his head on a hand, though with the way his eyelids were slipping closed Boris wasn't sure that was going to really work. Getting up, he came around to Bendy, kneeling down to be more level with the little devil. It took the smaller toon a moment to realize that Boris had even moved, his frame jolting a little as he turned to look at the wolf. By then, Boris had already made up his mind. Holding out his arms, he tried to slap on a smile even as the condition the other toon was in made him want to curl up and hide away somewhere.

"If'n you're done eatin', Bendy, we can get ready t'go t'bed."

"…Sure." The response came after a solid minute of thought on Bendy's part. The devil pushed himself off the chair to land awkwardly on the floor, stumbling around for a moment before Boris finally reached out and simply picked up the small toon. Bendy only had a brief instant of blinking, groggy disorientation before deciding to go along with what was happening, and huddled into the taller toon's chest. By the time they got back to Joey's office Bendy was snoring, completely insensate as Boris placed the devil into his drawer and pulled off his shoes before tucking him in. Yet, as the wolf turned to walk to his spot at the other end of the room, something nudged at him…namely that Bendy's snoring sounded like it was, right next to his ear…

Boris stirred, the awkward position he was in against the side of the booth causing an ache to tick through his shoulder blades. It took him a moment to realize that Bendy had changed positions while he'd been sleeping. The devil was more or less draped over the wolf's front, one arm wrapped around the taller toon's shoulders and the other angled so Bendy's hand was resting on the top of Boris's head, fingers lethargically carding through the dark fur. The entire scene felt vaguely familiar, though with sleep still clogging his brain Boris couldn't quite put his finger on why until a few seconds later; Bendy had done the same thing, back in that room. The one with…where 'Alice' had been.

It was only then that the wolf realized that his face had some telltale dried streaks running from his eyes to the underside of his jaw. Suddenly Bendy's actions seemed a lot more understandable, though the devil might have been close to falling asleep.

Well, scratch that, he was practically asleep, as the hand at Boris's head fell away and the behorned head clunked against the back of the booth. A snore began to reverberate through the smaller frame, Bendy almost completely slack against him. Tentatively raising an arm, Boris poked the side of Bendy's head with a finger.

Only to be completely startled when the small touch caused the devil to crash his head against the back of the booth, a gasped yelp slipping from Bendy before he seemed to remember where he was, his head jerking to the side to look straight at Boris. The wolf himself had jumped, eyes wide as he stared at the devil's face, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"B-Bendy…?"

"Boris…don'-don' do that, okay?" The small toon replied, the sound of his name having shaken him back into the moment. Boris just gave a quiet nod, still a little perturbed by the odd reaction and the smaller toon's still exhausted visage.

"'kay. 'm sorry Ben."

"'s alrigh'." The devil slurred, rubbing at an eye with the heel of his hand. Boris could say that his ink-induced nap had helped; he definitely wasn't feeling the wear from…whatever that was before with the heart pounding suffocation. He wasn't even going to try to comment on much else, mental state especially, though if anything Boris could say that he was regretting his rather hasty decision to poke Bendy. The poor devil looked absolutely drained, head drooping as his eyes just barely kept from sliding closed.

"Bendy, y'wanna take a break too? I'll keep watch." The devil looked ready to protest, though Boris was ready for him on that front. "'s okay, Ben. Y'can sleep, I'll be right here."

With the fight having been sapped out of the small toon, Bendy could really only lean into Boris as his eyelids already started slipping closed. For a moment, it looked like Boris was going to get his wish. That is, until the sound of something squelching into existence outside of the booth snapped the pair back into tense wakefulness, Bendy scrambling up to peer through the slat in the door. Boris too looked up, able to make out what looked like a familiar, oversized ink shape huddled across the room. Even in the low light, the wolf could see Bendy looking from the silhouette to the overlarge syringe still tucked away against the side of the booth. Quickly, Boris went through several things in his mind, one being that 'Alice' wanted the ink, but the ink monsters wanted Bendy. He needed to step up for this one, Bendy'd been through enough.

Before the devil could even reach for the syringe, Boris had already snatched it up, thoroughly startling Bendy as his gaze went from the spot the needle had just occupied to where it now sat in the wolf's hands.

"Boris?" The devil whispered, eyes flicking up to look at the aforementioned toon's face. Boris tried to slap on a reassuring smile, something to make the twisting, uncertain feeling in his stomach seem less looming.

"'s alright, Bendy, I got this one. Just stay here, okay?"

The worried grimace that crept over the smaller toon's face nearly made Boris lose his own nerve, but the thought of Bendy going out there and dealing with the monster fortified his resolve. Doing his best to give the devil as strong and comforting a smile as he could Boris nudged his way out of the booth, trying to make the door close as quietly as possible. Albeit, it was easier said than done given that from the resistance Bendy was holding open the door.

Still, Boris's mind was made up, and he shakily grasped the syringe in both hands, crossing the room in a few quick, quiet strides. Just as Boris drew within reaching distance, something creaked behind him, and the ink-monster turned in his direction. Or perhaps, to what was behind him. Almost as soon as the thought registered the creature began to reach forward, a gurgling noise emanating from what passed as a mouth.

The image of Bendy, eyes wide and teary and _broken_ , flashed through Boris's mind, and his arms quickly moved to slam the unwieldy tool into the loose, bulky frame, blinking heavily as it splattered over the floor. Staring down at the loose ink on the floor, Boris fumbled for an instant with the syringe, a strange sense of wary disgust seeping through his own ink as he shakily jabbed the end of the needle into the black glob, feeling a strange sense of deja-vu with the sight. Just as he'd pulled it into the syringe proper, the faint sound of shoes on the floor behind made him jolt, looking to his left just in time to see Bendy creeping slowly up, wide eyes trying to peer at his face.

"Boris?"

"'s okay, Bendy, I got it." The taller toon found himself saying despite the shakiness still making the needle tremble in his hands. Just don't think, don't think…

"Yeah, y'did. Thanks, pal." The quiet affirmation did put some steel into Boris's spine, making the wolf stand a little straighter, though he was more than ready to hand the needle back once Bendy reached for it. The devil peering at something on the side of the syringe piqued the wolf's curiosity and despite his wariness of the oversized implement he leaned down to see too. Enough that he could see the gauge on the side, nearly full if it weren't for a small quarter at the top.

Glancing up at the same time Bendy did, the pair passed a look between themselves before turning back to the little gauge.

"Maybe that's good enough." Boris whispered, hopeful though Bendy's next thought quickly shot the idea down.

"Might not be either. There's enough for one more, we just have t'get it."

"If'n you say so, but, Bendy, y'can still take a break if'n you wan'-."

"No." Bendy rushed out, dashing Boris's hopes to get the devil to at least try to get some sleep or ink into his system. "No, Boris, we can't. We're almost done. Jus' one more."

"…Alright," the wolf replied, unable to come up with a good argument that would unseat the devil's logic. Following Bendy's line of sight as the devil peered around, like another large, half-formed monster would simply spring from the floorboards, Boris looked about the room. Nothing came, the yawning quiet pressing like a thick blanket on the wolf's sensitive hearing.

"Maybe they're somewhere else…" Bendy murmured, already turning to leave. Boris hurried to follow, the pair heading back out to the entryway room. Pausing before the door, Bendy gave the elevator hall an instant of consideration before turning to go down, only for there to be no monsters. In fact the entire place was barren of any activity, which was both comforting and a little concerning when thinking on for more than a few minutes. Either way, it wasn't helping their situation, and they were forced to leave.

The stairwells seemed to crawl past, Bendy noticing how his legs felt heavier and heavier the more he climbed. Even still he kept the mantra going in his head, just a little longer, just a little more, Boris needed him, he could do this, just a little more…

The still-open doorway did cause a thrill of relief to run though the devil's ink. The pair hurried through, only to get blindsided as a half-formed monster sprung from near the pillar and a limping Butcher Gang character hobbled in from the right. Jabbing out with the needle, Bendy managed to deliver a few good whacks to the lanky creature, the sounds of Boris swinging with the pipe crashing in on his ears in time with the sounds of the monster in front of him.

" _ **Lord…"**_ It gasped out right as it started to fall apart, Bendy swallowing down a shudder as he whirled to Boris. The wolf had battered down the patchwork captain, just in time for another mismatched toon to fill the space. This one had the head bouncing around on a line, the teeth snapping at the wolf. Bendy rushed under Boris's arm, wielding the syringe like a bat as he swung at the Butcher gang character's head. The force caused the body to snap around, Bendy following up his charge with a few more strikes, enough to make the thing start to fall apart in short order. At the same time, Boris managed to club the other zombie-toon into nonexistence. The pair quickly turned to each other, relief seeping into their respective frames.

"You alright?" Bendy whispered, tension unwinding at Boris's answering nod.

"Yeah, you?"

Between the aching exhaustion and the slight jitteriness from what had just happened, Bendy could say that he would be good with hiding away somewhere and not leaving for the next three decades. Still, all things considered…

"'m fine, pal." The small toon responded, though he couldn't keep the faint edges of tiredness out of his grin. Bendy plodded closer, letting his head clunk against Boris's leg as he came to stand next to the wolf, a long-fingered hand quietly squeezing at the frayed shoulder of the devil's coat.

And, almost like a gift from whatever passed as a god in this place, behind the pillar huddled an ink-saturated, hunched figure. Passing a look to Boris, the devil began to take a few, hesitating steps forward, the syringe clenched in his hands. Trusting the wolf to have his back, Bendy shuffled his way across the room, the ink-monster starting to turn just as he slammed the syringe into its chest. The splatter of ink was both a relief and a little nauseating, though Bendy made quick work of getting the glob on the floor and looked with something close to joy at the now-filled gauge on the side. Turning an exhausted but gratified smile to Boris, and receiving one in return, Bendy turned to leave with the wolf in tow.

As they crossed back through the room the intercom crackled, 'Alice's voice filling the air.

 _ **"How sickening! Makes my skin crawl! But the task is done. Bring me back my equipment, please."**_

 _You and me both_ , Bendy wanted to say. But, given the fact that he was still dealing with a murderous toon-lady whom he was trying not to set off, the devil kept silent. Boris pressed a little closer at the warped angel's voice, the pair stepping out onto the landing.

Turning, the devil caught Boris's eye and tried to flash a smile. It rang a little flat, but from the fact that the wolf quickly returned it Bendy could surmise it was at least a little convincing.

Boris was with him, they were together, it was going to be fine. They would make it fine.

Bendy had just turned to go down the stairs when a sudden spike of pain jabbed its way into the space behind his eyeballs, a hard blink nearly making him miss the moment when dark trails started to snake down the upward stairwell, a tall figure almost gliding into view on the landing. In the light afforded by an overhead lamp, Bendy could make out the increasingly devolving look of the music director. Now Sammy's entire left arm was gone up to the elbow, his right hand also completely melted away to the wrist. The ink in the music director's body seemed to be constantly shifting, bubbling and dripping though the whirls of darkness seemed to drink it in.

Between the pain and the feeling that not-Sammy's presence brought on, Bendy's nerveless steps back felt more dreamlike, though the devil was yanked back into reality when Boris gave his arm a yank. Somehow Bendy managed to run along with Boris down the staircase, though the wolf quickly picked up the smaller toon as they practically leapt inside the Lil' Miracle Station a couple stairwells below. For a few, tense minutes, neither toon dared to so much as twitch, Boris peering out the slat and Bendy pressing himself into the wolf's front as he tried to focus on something other than the ache reverberating through his skull.

Still, it didn't grow any stronger, and there was no sound or sign of the thing coming any closer. When the pain faded away entirely, Bendy couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief, Boris also relaxing against him. The feeling of solace was so strong that the little devil felt the soft, inviting lull of sleep tug at the edges of his mind, almost making him slide into darkness if it weren't for the fact that the syringe was still clenched in his hands.

At the devil's renewed shifting, Boris briefly tightened his hold, straightening up.

"Bendy?"

"We gotta, we gotta keep goin', get rid of this…" Bendy shoved his way out from under the wolf's arm, listening for a moment before pushing his way out of the booth with Boris quickly following behind. The taller toon quickly drew level with the devil as they went down the stairs, Boris gripping the pipe a little tighter as he took in the slumped posture and exhaustion that was steadily becoming an integral part of the smaller toon's frame. A brief, mental image of Bendy being dragged out of sight by inky, grasping hands flashed through Boris's mind, and the wolf tried to put himself a half-step ahead of the smaller toon while keeping a careful ear out for any hint of noise.

Boris's caution did pay off when a knoll next to one of the landings did disgorge a gurgling, dripping ink creature, the sudden blur of motion and noise causing tension to ripple through the two toons, Boris launching himself forward with the pipe upraised. The quick impact shattered the dark form, the splatter painting the floor briefly causing an image to spring to Boris's mind, of _a floor littered with cables and ink, and a form topped with horns and a halo, and glinting objects held in its arms. One looked like a blade of some kind, the image sliding in and out as it was placed off to the side. The other, entirely metallic, was long, one part thick and the other thin-_.

"Boris?" The quiet voice caused the taller toon to jump, snapping out of the reverie and turning around to see Bendy come around from the left, the devil peering up at Boris's face. However, in the short pause the wolf's eyes flicked down, and immediately locked onto the syringe still in the devil's hands. Before he even realized, Boris took a few steps away, breathing leaping from slightly sped up to approaching off-the-rails hyperventilating as the image of shining metal, _thick and thin, superimposed itself over the syringe, the pair almost indistinguishable_ -.

"Boris, Boris!"

The strangled whisper of a voice almost didn't register, instead it brought to mind another place, another time, with a _smoother, far-too calm voice telling him that he'd done well, as sticky fingers pressed themselves to the underside of his head, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice telling him that if only he knew what he was needed for, the perfection his ink would fuel,_ _ **stop whimpering you cowardly mutt**_ _-._

"Boris, please listen t'me, I'm right here, we're almost done, it's okay, Boris, please-!"

 _ **It hurts it hurts to breathe to think scared so scared please don't I don't want to die….**_

Vaguely Boris knew that he'd backed up into something, probably a wall, though the feeling of something pressing up against his back didn't detract because it just felt like a _table, all that was missing was the straps_ -.

And suddenly something crashed into his front, knocking the wolf's tall frame back into the wall and causing him to let out a watery cry of fright and surprise, an arm quickly sliding in between him and whatever had just latched onto him with the intent to push it off. However, before he could either freeze or start to flail, the thing wrapped its shorter arms around his shoulders in a hug. It was only then that the familiar feel of the embrace and the smell registered to his nose over the overwhelming stench of ink.

"…Ben? Bendy?"

A quiet, relieved sigh settled over Boris's ears, the devil leaning against him practically slumping in relief as reality reasserted itself in the wolf's perspective. It was only then that he realized that his arm was still wedged in between himself and Bendy, ready to knock the devil from him in a snap if he so wanted. Not that Boris wanted, the realization of what he'd been about to do coupled with what he'd just…experienced, making him feel more than a little ill.

Shakily the wolf managed to unweave his arm from its stuck position, wrapping Bendy in a tight, desperate hug.

"You're alright, Boris, you're alright, I gotcha, 'm here…" The devil babbled, barely breaking whispering volume as he spoke. The taller toon's head bobbed in a wobbly nod at the words, wanting to acknowledge Bendy, thank him for putting up with this mess, apologize for creating problems when his little buddy really didn't need any more trouble, apologize for messing up and being _**broken**_ -.

The sudden sound of something upstairs thumping snapped the two from their misery, both toons glancing back over as one at the staircase leading up, though if there was trouble lurking about it didn't seem interested in making its way down to where they were. Still, neither of toon wanted to wait around for trouble to find them. So, even as both frame trembled with the stress of what they had just gone through, the pair continued on, Bendy trying to pick up the oversized syringe as surreptitiously as possible. When he peered back around and noticed Boris looking his way, the devil tried to carry the unwieldy syringe on his opposite side, where the wolf would have a hard time seeing it. Still, there was only so much Bendy's smaller frame could block, though Boris hardly seemed to hold it against the devil, even giving the shorter toon a shaky head ruffle as they fell back into step next to each other. Even still, the studio groaned, dripped, and creaked around them, the walls almost claustrophobically winding as they tried to go down the stairwell with as much care as possible.

Thankfully, that one ink monster seemed to be the crux of the activity for their walk back. Level 9 was as vacant and expansive as it had been. As they came down the stairs to the bridge, the intercom crackled, a new message filtering through to the pair.

 _ **"Sammy said I had talent, he was always a good liar. Still, he was once a very handsome man."**_ Well, Bendy could say that he definitely wasn't imagining the frown that sprung up on Boris's face at the sound of that. The wolf turned a hard look to the Alice statue across the bridge, noticeably clenching his jaw. Bendy quickly reached up, grabbing ahold of Boris's hand, the sudden contact jolting the wolf from his stewing mood.

"'s alright," Bendy mouthed, doing his best to slap on a reassuring smile. "You know Sammy better than she does."

The barely audible encouragement did chase away some of the angry gloom from Boris's face, but worry still seeped back in as Bendy stepped away and headed across the bridge. Despite the exhaustion and slight achiness in his legs, the small toon ascended the stairs, and immediately made for the metal chute to the right of the door. Levying the somewhat unwieldy syringe into the metal opening Bendy let it fall, more than glad to see it go. However, if he was hoping that that would be the end of the tasks the warped angel had for him, the devil was sadly disappointed.

" _ **You see those grinning demons? Let's remove them, shall we? I've got just the tool to make this even more enjoyable**_."

The metal casing spun again, and Bendy's eyes widened as he caught sight of what was there for him to take. The wood fit comfortably in his hands, gloved fingers already finding the best spots to grip as they settled around the familiar handle. It almost dulled the feeling of mild conflict in the small toon's mind at what 'Alice' was asking him to do. True, he didn't like the cutouts, but they were by far the least antagonistic thing in here. Not to mention, if they were moving around and kinda-sorta living, wouldn't that mean that he could be ticking off something that might not mean him ill-will to begin with?

The fact that 'Alice' was asking Bendy to actively destroy things that looked like him was a somewhat haunting thought, a sudden trembling running through the small frame as the musing struck while he was walking back across the bridge. Whether or not that was warning of something remained to be seen, but Bendy liked to think his instincts had been honed quite well from the three decades of being out on the streets. More dismally though, he still couldn't come up with anything better than what the warped angel offered. Even if she was going to just…betray him or leave him for dead at the end of this, Bendy couldn't come up with a more secure plan. 'Alice' controlled the elevators, the stairs didn't go up any higher, and the hallway that he and Boris had come through to get in here was blocked as far as he knew, the memory of the strange cutout in the pitch-black making another quiet shiver go up his spine, Bendy's tail coiling closer to his body.

No matter how he looked at it, he just felt more and more trapped. There was nothing that he could do from his perspective, and time was running out.

The trip back across the bridge blurred a little in Bendy's memory, but suddenly he was back at Boris's side, and stopped as the taller toon let a hand drop to devil's shoulder, stopping him from simply walking past to the stairs. Even though it hurt to do it, as he'd just been trying to reassure Boris by telling him they were almost done for crying out loud, Bendy creakily lifted his head to look the wolf in the eye, watching a little distantly as Boris's face pinched a little at the sight of whatever Bendy's expression was. Probably not very positive at this point, but right now the devil found himself too drained, defeated, and just plain tired, so much so that he couldn't even muster a smile any more. Instead, Bendy let Boris steer him up the stairs, the wolf quickly ushering him into the stairwell and started trying to get them both up the stairs. And, Bendy was trying, but every step felt like it was getting heavier and heavier, his head swimming with exhaustion and bleak, numb grey that seemed to seep through everything, practically encouraging him to sit down there and let something find him, whether it be the black and white monster, one of the zombified members of the Butcher Gang, or hell, whatever was running around in Sammy's body, he…he nearly didn't care anymore.

 _What's the point? It's all_ _ **your fault**_ _, you_ _ **can't make anything right**_ _, and_ _ **it's going to catch up to you, no matter how hard you try**_ _…_

"Bendy?" Boris suddenly whispered, the sound managing to pierce the grey haze and Bendy slowly turned his gaze to the wolf. The taller toon had knelt next to the devil on the stairs, expression worn but wearing vestiges of that smile that Bendy knew so well as he rolled his shoulders forward. Reading the cue, and feeling more and more small as the moments trickled by, Bendy felt his mouth and face give some twitching that might have been a returning grin. The twitches caused the slight burning that the devil was feeling around his eyes to liquify, though through some miracle none of it spilled down over his face. Even still, Bendy clambered up onto Boris's shoulders, somehow managing to maneuver the axe in a way that only pulled at his arm a little as it dangled over the wolf's shoulder.

 _He'd be better off without you…_

Heading up the staircase after staircase, the pair made their way through to the T-shaped hallway, Boris making his way through to the animation rooms, immediately heading over to the booth across, Bendy really only registering what was happening once they'd stepped inside.

"Boris…?"

"We're takin' a break." The wolf offered in explanation, putting aside the pipe and the axe and settling down on the bench. Bendy blinked as he found himself nestled carefully against Boris's front, the side of his face pressed up against the raised scar under the wolf's fur.

"D'ya wan' some ink?" Boris murmured, fishing around in one of Bendy's coat pockets before coming up with an inkwell, the one that had already been drained quite a bit in the hours before. Still, there was enough left for a few mouthfuls.

"…Sure." Bendy hummed, quietly taking the glass and popping it open. The few gulps of ink went down quick, the small toon barely having it in him to be disgusted by the taste. With Boris taking the now-empty inkwell from him, Bendy let himself drop to huddle against the taller toon and closing his eyes. Sleep claimed him in a matter of moments as black drifted up from the depths of his mind.

"Bendy, can you help Boris read the next story for us, please?" Joey asked, the devil straightening up in his seat at the sound of his name and peering over to the book in Boris's lap, the wolf adjusting himself so the smaller toon could see. Immediately Bendy's eyes picked out the start of the story, though Joey had first called it a 'fable', and began to read.

"There was once a young sh-shepherd boy who tended his sheep at th' foot of a mountain near a dark forest." The first sentence done, and at a somewhat impatient gesture from Joey Bendy indicated where Boris was to pick up.

"I-It…was ra-rather lone-ly for him, all day, so he th…"

"Thought." Bendy whispered, just loud enough for the wolf to hear.

"Thought!" Boris echoed, a brief, grateful smile shining through for a moment before Joey's watchful gaze registered again and pushed the taller toon's eyes back to the book. "He thought up-upon a plan, by which he could get a lil', a lil' com…compan-y an' some…"

The next word made the wolf completely stumble, his ears lowering as he fought to make heads or tails of what he was seeing. Bendy peered at it too, the sheer length causing him to take a moment too as he tried to puzzle out what was written.

"Is there a problem?" The sharp snap of Joey Drew's voice made the pair jump, both Bendy and Boris quickly looking to their creator. The studio head had gone from looking at papers to staring at them over the desk from behind a set of interlocked fingers. The devil felt himself stiffen at the manner in which the dark eyes seemed to sweep over his and Boris's faces, almost as though he were looking for something. Shoving down the immediate thrill of dread that thought brought-Joey hadn't even been there, after all, how could he have known?- Bendy turned his attention back to the book, a small hand quietly clasping around Boris's arm when a glance told him that the taller toon looked close to completely losing his nerve. Boris didn't really much like this sort of thing, if only because Joey made success such an important part of…well, any sort of lesson that he was teaching them. Bendy'd only heard one of the younger animators call Joey a 'perfectionist' a few days ago, but after hearing that, and learning what 'perfect' meant, he could say that the word fit Joey to a tee.

Well, Bendy thought as he settled back into place next to Boris and peered determinedly at the book, he would make sure that Joey would have nothing to complain about or get upset over. Boris didn't deserve to be yelled at for something he didn't know, especially when, to Bendy's mind, the wolf was downright eager to please whomever asked anything of him.

That in mind, he took another look at the problem spot on the page, managing to pick out the first six letters as its own word.

E-x-c-i-t-e, excite. And with that out of the way, the last four letters formed into '-ment'. Fighting back a light tremble of anxiety, the devil whispered to the wolf next to him.

"Excite-ment."

"Eh-excite…ment?" Boris repeated a little louder, nervously glancing to Joey to see if they had been right. A few seconds passed in silence before the studio head finally spoke.

"I don't think that is the end of the story, you two. Keep reading." It was as good of an affirmation as the pair were going to get, quietly passing relieved grins as they continued, Bendy taking the next sentence.

"He rushed down towards th' village callin' out..." Bendy paused, frowning at the next words on the page. Oh boy, it was going to be one of those stories, was it? Briefly glancing up at Boris, he continued to read. "…'Wolf, Wolf', an' some of the villagers came out t'meet him, an' some of them stopped with him for a con-con-sid-er-a-ble time."

Boris, who had gone still at the mention of wolves as a threat in the story, had to be poked a few times before he realized that it was his turn to read.

"Oh! Uh, th-this plea-sed th' boy so much…that a few days ah…"

"Afterwards." Bendy murmured.

"Afterwards, he tried th' same trick, an' again the vill-agers came t'his help." Boris finished, the devil picking right up with the next sentence.

"But shortly after this a wolf actually did come out from th' forest, and began t'worry th' sheep." Bendy paused for an instant, giving Boris's arm a quick squeeze as the mention of the wolf made the taller toon scrunch down a little, muzzle briefly twisting in discomfort. "And th' boy of course cried out 'Wolf, Wolf' still louder than before."

It took Boris a half-second longer to snap to and go to his own sentence, but thankfully he did before Joey had to speak up again. However, by this point any interest the taller toon might have had in the story was replaced with a weary sort of dread.

"But this time th' vill-agers, who had b-been fooled twice b'fore, th-."

"Thought." Bendy offered again.

"Thought, the boy was again de-de…"

The devil quickly leaned in and peered at the word, mindful of the fact that the studio head's eyes were still very much on the pair. This one wasn't much longer than any of the previous ones Boris had stumbled with, though just looking at it Bendy could see why it had given the wolf pause. There were words that didn't always match with how they were written out on a page, that the devil knew, but he didn't know which ones they were, or how different they sounded. Still, they had to try.

"Dekeeving?" Bendy warbled out, Boris just about to open his mouth to repeat what the smaller toon had said when Joey broke in.

"Deceiving, Bendy. The word is deceiving."

Numbly nodding at the sharp bite to his creator's tone, Bendy gave Boris's arm another squeeze, the wolf quickly taking that as his cue to continue.

"De-Deceiving them, an' nobody stirred t'come t'his help."

"S-So…" Bendy jumped in, trying to clamp down on the nerves that squeezed at his insides. There was something about this that was ringing an alarm in the devil's mind, something about the way that Joey was watching them and had sounded when he'd made his correction. Though, for the moment, Bendy simply shoved the thoughts to the side and continued to read. "…th' wolf made a good meal o-off th' boy's…flock, an' when th' boy com-complained, th' wise man of th' village said-."

"A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth." Joey interrupted, getting up and coming around the desk. The words, combined with the fact that the studio head had been the one to say them, almost felt like this was the crux of what he had wanted to impart upon the two toons. However, Bendy couldn't think of a reason as to why Joey would think this was important, not unless…

The studio head, meanwhile, had come out entirely from around the desk, the fact that he was leaning on his cane taking away nothing from the nearly menacing image he cast as he loomed over the pair. Bendy immediately found himself caught between shrinking away and holding his ground so as not to give anything away. He didn't dare look up, though from the manner in which Boris's hands had begun to clench on the book Bendy knew that the wolf was feeling the same.

"Is there something that either of you wish to tell me?" Joey asked, the tone calm, even casual, but he kept leaning forward into the pair's space, causing them to hunch further away. Now the fear was climbing in Bendy's frame, his entire body growing as tense as a stretched rubber band. He could easily guess as to what the studio head was asking about. And the devil had no illusions regarding Boris's ability to figure that out. The wolf had already tried to argue that he had to take the blame for what he had done, that it was wrong that Bendy was punished. But to Bendy, that hadn't been the point. Boris hadn't known that what he was doing was wrong, but Bendy had. Boris didn't know as much as Bendy, and it was Bendy's responsibility to help the wolf, that's what Henry had said, and Bendy had agreed with him. If he didn't then no one else could, and Bendy definitely knew that being alone to figure everything out was no picnic.

And Boris pretty much latched onto anything that Bendy told him from the get-go. The wolf wasn't dumb, certainly wasn't mean. If anything, Bendy could say that Boris's worst quality was that he worried too much, but it was usually regarding the smaller toon himself, so the devil…couldn't really call it a bad quality. But, now, that worrying was more than likely to undo the point Bendy had been trying to make.

The point wasn't to punish Boris, the point was that punishing Boris wasn't needed. The wolf hadn't gone near the books again following that incident, so there was no need to punish him. If he was told not to do something, he listened. But Joey didn't care…!

"J-Joey…" Boris whimpered out, though with a deep, steadying breath, the wolf continued as Bendy's heart sank. "B-Bendy didn' do anythin' wrong, he didn' touch the books, I did. Y'don', y'don' haveta punish him no more."

The quiet dragged on for what felt like years, Bendy not daring to look up to see what Joey's face looked like, or reach over to Boris to maybe bolster the wolf some, reassure his pal that it wasn't his fault. Because it WASN'T.

"Alright now, Boris, I understand." Joey hummed, the tone giving absolutely nothing away as to what he was thinking. Bendy could just make out the taller toon's frame stiffening out of the corner of his eye, Boris's hands shaking as they closed the book. The studio head suddenly reaching out with his hand and taking the book from the wolf, Bendy just managing to see how the taller toon's hands stayed outstretched for a moment before tremblingly clasping in his lap. Joey had turned to place the book on his desk, revolving back around using his cane, a maneuver that Bendy would have ordinarily been fascinated by if the moment wasn't wound so tight.

"Boris, stand up, would you?" The studio head suddenly instructed, the taller toon only hesitating for an instant before hurriedly getting to his feet. Only now did Bendy dare to look up at the scene playing out in front of him, just in time to hear Joey.

"Now stand in that corner over there, and don't move until I tell you to."

The instructions were innocuous enough, but Bendy knew enough about this kind of punishment to give a small wince, remembering how long it had been before Joey had decided to tell him otherwise; hours. Everyone had gone home, the only person up besides them being Boris, who had been kind enough to put aside food for the by then thoroughly exhausted and sore toon devil. And, judging from that, it looked like Boris was going to be in similar straits by late tonight.

But Boris had gotten the message, he wasn't about to go round poking at the books again. This wasn't fair, the thought making the devil's insides twist again, but almost resentfully this time around.

However, once the wolf had gotten to his corner, Joey turned back to the now-solitary devil, Bendy stiffening at being the sudden focus of his creator.

"Bendy, you get up too."

The small toon got to his feet, eyes widening at the next words out of Joey's mouth.

"And go stand in that corner over there."

"Bu-wait!" Boris cried from his nook, spinning around. "I-I said Bendy didn' do anythin' wrong! He didn' touch the books, tha' was me! Y'don' have t'-."

"Boris!" The harsh, overriding tone to the studio head's voice immediately caused the wolf to clam up, arms wrapping around himself like a shield against Joey's anger. Once he had quiet, Joey kept speaking. "What was the moral of the story, Boris?"

The question caught the taller toon off guard for an instant, though he recalled the exact lesson quickly enough. "Th-that liars, won'…they can't get people t'believe 'em, 'cause they always lie?"

"Not entirely. A liar will not be believed even if they tell the truth, because people will think that they are lying."

"But I wasn' lyin'! Bendy didn't touch th' books, it was me-!"

"Who lied, Boris?"

"Huh?" The question may have completely thrown the wolf, but Bendy already had an idea of what Joey was trying to get at.

"I lied." It took everything in Bendy not to flinch as Joey turned back to him, Boris staring between the human and his fellow toon with an expression that looked like he wanted to leap in the middle yet something kept holding him back.

"Exactly." Joey started, addressing Boris but keeping his eyes on Bendy. "Though you were not the one who told the lie, I can only imagine that there was some level of coercion on your part to make it happen. We have been reading these fairytales for the past few weeks, it seems logical that you would have picked up on something from them."

Even Bendy started at the implication, though Boris was the one that spoke up.

"I-!"

"Boris, would Bendy have lied to me if you hadn't touched the books?"

A tense, worrisome pause went through the room before the wolf spoke up, voice trembling with a mix of dread and guilt.

"N-No..."

"So, I would guess that there was something said between the two of you that would cause him to act this way, perhaps I should have thought more regarding how the two of you would interact…" Joey thought aloud, gaze moving impassively between the pair before finally resting on Bendy, who had still not moved from his spot in front of his seat. "What did I tell you to do, Bendy? I don't have all day. That corner over there should work just fine."

The question really only needed a few seconds to register, the devil quickly scurrying to the opposite corner from Boris and standing to face the wall, already bracing himself for the hours of simply standing in that one spot and not moving.

"And, Boris, turn back around."

There was a pause, after which it was clear that the wolf was doing the exact opposite of that, and though Bendy didn't dare turn to look he couldn't help the momentary, agitated flicks that his tail made as Joey spoke again.

"Boris. Turn around." The desire to communicate to the wolf that it was going to be fine, to just play along, overrode Bendy's desire to do whatever he could to avoid making his creator any more upset than he already was. Taking the chance that Joey was facing the opposite way, Bendy brought his arms up to cross them over his front, though he reached up so that his hand was resting over his shoulder, fingers giving a few flicks that Bendy hoped Boris would interpret as 'just do as he says, don't worry about me'. It seemed to work, given that Joey's next words were much less harsh-sounding.

"Now, the both of you will stay there until I say you can go. There will be no talking, and if I catch someone moving or making noise, I will add on an hour to your punishment." Neither toon dared to speak up, the silence translating to obedience in Joey's eyes. Bendy listened carefully as his creator moved to sit back at his desk, papers shuffling as he got back to work. Perhaps, if the devil strained hard enough, he could also make out the faint sounds of hitched breaths, like their source was doing his best not to make any noise but also couldn't bring himself to stop. And, though Bendy couldn't do anything right then, hours later he would tell Boris it wasn't his fault, and that he certainly wasn't angry with him.

However, hours later, both toons were practically falling over with exhaustion and aching legs, any tears and upset long since drained out along with their energy. Joey had only left the room for about a few times, for about an hour at a time, though neither toon wanted to risk their creator's ire by moving around. Bendy still couldn't figure out how Joey had figured it out, he hadn't even been there! They'd also put the book right back, and even if there were some sign that it had been moved, how would he have known that Bendy had been lying?

Ideas had spun through the devil's brain, but they'd long since lost their ability to connect to reality the longer he stood there, his stomach growing emptier and emptier and his legs feeling more and more like dead weight as the hours wore on. Bendy could have fallen over right there in relief when Joey finally said, long after night had quieted the studio down around them,

"Alright, eleven o'clock. Bendy, Boris, you can go down to the break room and get something to eat, but I want you back up here for bed."

Neither really had it in them to argue, or do much other than shuffle painstakingly for the door and out into the hall. Bendy stumbled around a little in his attempts to change direction, though he was somewhat blindsided when Boris creakily bent and picked up the small toon to hold to his chest like a stuffed animal. Albeit, after peering up and making out the woebegone, drained expression on the wolf's face, the devil couldn't find it in himself to protest or demand to be put down. Instead, he went along with it as Boris hobbled his way down a couple flights of stairs, through the animation foyer, and down the hall to the break room. The Ink Machine churned fitfully in its room as they passed, the dull but prevalent noise nearly setting Bendy's teeth on edge as the pair slogged past.

There was something of a windfall in the break room, someone had left at least six ham and cheese sandwiches wrapped up in paper in a box. If Bendy had more like time to ruminate on it, he might have thought that he should thank either Henry or Wally, given that there was a definite air of deliberateness to how it had been left, like the toons were meant to find it.

But for the moment, neither questioned the good fortune, or wondered as to who it had been from, instead scarfing down at least two sandwiches each in the span of half a minute. For plain old ham and cheese, Bendy could easily say that they had been the best things he'd ever tasted in all his life, his stomach only ceasing in its complaints once they were finished. However, with that out of the way, the devil's body felt it needed him to attend to another issue, namely the fact that he was completely worn out. Even as Bendy tried to reach for a third sandwich, he could feel his eyelids starting to droop, head bobbing as exhaustion started to lull him into slumber. It made him miss the fact that Boris had polished off his third sandwich and had been reaching for that one as well, the pair only realizing that they both had their eyes on the same prize when their hands bumped into each other. Though Bendy could easily say he was a little loopy with fatigue, he was not so out of it that he didn't notice the way Boris's expression turned dejected, ears lowering against his head as the wolf withdrew his hand like it had been burnt.

"'sokay, Bendy, y'can have it." Boris murmured, voice lowering in recrimination as he drew back in his chair, putting as much distance between himself and the sandwich as he could without leaving the table. Fighting down a slump, as Bendy was decently sure that if he let his head hit the table now he wasn't going to get up again, the smaller toon let out a sigh.

"Boris…d'ya want it? 'Cause if you do, y'can have it, really."

"…I don' want it. You need it more." The wolf answered, eyeline dropping to his lap as he spoke.

"…Y'know, nunna that was your fault, right? It wasn' fair for Joey t'punish you, y'didn' know what you were doin' was wrong." Despite the devil's words, Boris still looked fairly miserable, ears and eyes still downcast as his shoulders hunched. Even though Bendy was sure all the wolf could see was his overalls, he continued talking. "Boris, 'm not mad at you, alright? It's okay, really, y'can ha…have it."

Boris glanced up at the yawn that broke through the latter half of Bendy's sentence, the smaller frame stretching before slumping a little, finally breaking down and propping up his head on his hands. It didn't much help with keeping him awake but at this point Bendy was fading whether he liked it or not.

"'s alright, Bendy. We'll save it for tomorrow." The taller toon said after a moment, getting up to put the leftover sandwich back in the box. By the time Boris came back to the table, Bendy's eyes were slipping closed, the devil's head bobbing on his hands. The exhausted, miserable look fled from the wolf's face a little, a fond, if somewhat concerned smile taking its place instead. Reaching down, Boris picked Bendy up off the chair and cradled the small toon against his chest, even as his own exhaustion caused his shoulders to slump. Padding out of the break room, the wolf spoke up, even though he was mostly sure Bendy had already dropped off to sleep.

"…Thanks for lookin' out for me, Ben."

"'s what pals 'r for. Yer my pal, so I gotta look out fer you." Bendy mumbled.

"Think if anythin', I'd be lookin' out for you, Bendy." Boris spoke up, foggy mind easily recalling the times in the past week alone that he'd had to help the devil out of a tight jam, or act as a safety net for when Bendy decided that his diminutive height wasn't going to stop him from getting something. Needless to say, the smaller toon was very adept at putting himself into precarious positions.

"Hey, 'm older'n you. 'm th' one who's doin' the lookin' out." The devil said, voice turning into a cranky grumble as Boris's chest shook with laughter. "Wha's so funny?"

"Didn' y'fall off a table yesterday, an' I had t'grab you b'fore y'hit th' floor?"

"I…" Another yawn interrupted the devil's rebuttal, and Boris waiting patiently as the becoming-familiar bickering eased some of the tension from the wolf's frame. "…w-will have you know tha' I had perfect control over tha'. Was ab-so-lute-ly fine."

"Sure y'were." Boris snarked, looking down and just managing to make out a grumpy pout trying to form on Bendy's face. It would have had a much better chance if the devil weren't fighting to stay awake.

"Hey, pal, I was climbin' all over things before you showed up, an' I didn' fall…well, maybe once…bu' it wasn' very far!"

"Not helpin' your case, Bendy."

"Mmurrggghh, shuddup 'm tired…" The small toon groaned, trying to flop himself so that he was burying his face into Boris's chest to avoid the conversation. The wolf decided to help Bendy with that by simply levying the devil up so that Bendy's head was resting on his shoulder. As they climbed the stairs to go back to Joey's office, Bendy spoke up.

"…Hey, Boris?"

"Y-Yeah, Bendy?" The wolf replied through a cavernous yawn of his own. Still, he was awake enough to listen to what the smaller toon was saying.

"Jus', if Joey never says it, then 'm gonna say it." A moment to marshall his thoughts, and Bendy continued. "'m glad you're my pal, an' y'aren't the least bit like any a'those other wolves from the stories. I lied t'Joey 'cause I wanted to, not cause'f anythin' y'said, alright? He can't blame you for me lyin'. I lied 'cause you're my pal, an' you didn' deserve t'get in trouble."

It seemed to take a moment for Bendy's words to sink in, though the devil felt the wolf's arms tighten around him in a grateful hug.

"…Thanks Bendy." Though it came out as a hushed, rumbling whisper, the complete appreciation in the words could easily be felt. Bendy lazily threw an arm over Boris's shoulder, wanting to at least give back some of the hug even though he could feel himself quietly slipping off to slumber even as he half-clung to the taller toon's frame. Still, the devil couldn't bring himself to care overmuch about that, or the fact that his legs still felt like dead weight. It was over, and Boris wouldn't be doing the same thing again, so there was no need to worry about it. They'd just…go back to the usual tomorrow. And stay well away from the studio head's books.

Somehow Bendy felt that he wouldn't need to do very much convincing to get Boris to follow along with that idea. It was the last, clear thought he had before finally sinking into a deep slumber.

Though, when the devil opened his eyes again, things felt distinctly different. No longer were his legs stiff and sore, but there was a faint line of tension sitting in his shoulders that made the muscles twitch. However, the fact that he could still feel fur pressed up against the right side of his face made him calm down some, though the raised line under it briefly brought up some questions in the devil's mind.

Well, that is, until the memory of the last…day, two days maybe, flooded back in and Bendy felt his thoughts sink, both at what had happened, and the fact that he and Boris still weren't out of the woods yet. And, while the brief nap had done something for the smaller toon's energy levels, he still didn't have any plans as to how they were going to get out of it.

That's what pals are for, looking out for each other. It seemed like lifetimes ago since Bendy had said that. Not that his opinion had really changed regarding the sentiment but it did cause an idea to spring to mind. Boris had, kinda sorta, been here much longer than he had, enough so that he was familiar with everything, even to the point of knowing things that Bendy would have been left guessing about. Maybe, just maybe, there was something in those memories that they could use to get out of, if not the studio proper, then at least this situation. Briefly, Bendy went over their options; the elevators were a no-go because 'Alice' controlled them and there was no way to send it higher than Level K, the stairwell also didn't go any higher, and as far as he knew, the doorway leading directly out and back to that hall was still blocked by a heavy metal door. Boris was pretty strong, but he couldn't move that on his own. Unless…

Bendy considered what had happened once they'd gotten here; Boris had gone into the ventilation system, found something to open the other door, which let them into the toyshop proper. Maybe there was a way to open the other door hidden in there somewhere? The brief memory of the cutout did spring up in the devil's mind, but with a crazed angel downstairs, multiple monsters out for blood, and who even knows what wandering the hall, it seemed like an acceptable risk given that staying here just made them more and more trapped. Going back up to the studio at least gave them an out.

Still, there was one thing needed for this plan, harebrained as it was, to work, and that was…

"…Boris?"

"'m here, Ben." The wolf answered, the devil pushing himself up to look the taller toon in the eye. Boris let Bendy kneel on his own end of the bench, though scooting back to his own end was…more than a little cramped for his taller frame. Still, the wolf waited for Bendy to continue.

"'ve jus', been thinkin'…"

"About what?"

"Well, for starters, that you were prob'ly right about, her…downstairs. Don' go rubbin' it in," Bendy quipped, the bit of humor easing some of the tension. "But, we still need an out here."

"…Do, you have any ideas?" Boris asked, the question hanging in the air for a moment before Bendy worked up the nerve to voice his plan. Heck, it was less of a plan and more of an idea…

"…I-I was thinkin', you remember how you opened th' door t'the toyshop? Maybe y'can open the other door an' we can jus' head out th' way we came in." Bendy put forth, Boris seeming to think on the idea for a minute, though if the devil were hoping for a more rousing reaction he would be sorely disappointed.

"Uh…maybe, 'm not sure…I-I don' think…I mean, I've never…"

Never tried it, or never had the opportunity to. Not the best odds. But, with them basically trapped and an ally, in quotes so large they would have dwarfed the building, that didn't seem to care about whether or not he and Boris lived or died, Bendy wasn't sure what else they had.

"Alright, how about this…we'll destroy the cutouts, like she wants, an' if she jus' sends us off t'do somethin' else, we'll try the idea with the door. It should be easy enough, I mean, we've been seein' 'em all through here. It's not like they're going t'be hard t'find."

"…Good point." Boris conceded, though he didn't look any more thrilled by the prospect than Bendy was. Something that the devil understood pretty keenly at the moment. Still, they weren't going to get anywhere by hiding in a booth…

"You ready?" Bendy asked, putting a hand on the door and peering up at the wolf. At Boris's nod, the devil pushed his way out with the wolf close on his heels. The immediate presence of the cutout across the room gave Bendy somewhere to start, the devil creeping across the room as quietly as possible. The resounding crash as the axe slammed through the cardboard and sent the pieces to the floor seemed to undo that effort though, both toons stiffening with preemptive fright and peering about.

Bendy briefly took a moment to ask himself if there had been any other cutouts on this floor, and when his admittedly frenetic memory came up with nothing he was quick to head for the door. As he and Boris put as much distance between themselves and Level P as possible, Bendy kept an ear out, easily remembering how quickly not-Sammy could come and go through the levels with seemingly, well, not quite effort, if the melting state of the music director's body had been any clue. Unless that wasn't why that was happening… Though, now that he thought on it, Bendy wasn't sure he wanted to think too hard on the logic behind any of that. Mostly because being sure on anything regarding that would require more than just a few seconds of observation and Bendy knew without a doubt that he definitely didn't want to get too close.

The pair tried to go up the stairs as quickly and as quietly as possible, making it to the doorway of Level 11 and hurrying inside only to be nearly jumped by a half-formed ink monster. Instinctively Bendy swung out with the axe and caught it under the chin, the impact causing it to splatter apart in a shower of ink.

The suddenness of the whole thing had the pair standing in stunned silence for a few minutes as they tried to process what had just happened, before Bendy shook off his daze with the thought that they still had one thing to do. Quickly the devil darted off to the room down the hall, just barely registering Boris's gasp and a whispered exclamation of his name before he brought the axe down on his cardboard counterpart, shattering it and wheeling around to head back to Boris. The wolf had taken a few steps forward, though quickly caught onto what Bendy was doing once the devil had turned back around. Though the pair bolted up the stairs as quietly as they could, Bendy still couldn't help but wince at every creak the aged wood made as they climbed. Boris too took note of the noise, doing his best to mitigate the possibility of his heavier footfalls making noise with the memory of 'Sammy' still firmly in his mind. They'd seen it going down, so it had to be somewhere nearby, unless it'd been going back up but why would it do that…?

And, underneath those thoughts was a somewhat more bone-deep but murky sense of deja-vu, something about the way the cutout had fallen apart, or perhaps it was the noise…Boris nearly felt himself sink down into the foggy recollection, of _crashing noise need to run run run_ …

But, from what? On that, the half-memory was hardly clear. Fighting down a wave of uneasy frustration, the wolf noticed that Bendy had started to draw ahead of him. The faint impression was immediately pushed out by an image of the devil with a half-formed, sightless ink creature pinning him down, dragging the smaller toon across the floor and to a pool of ink and if he had just been a few seconds later…

Swallowing down a flutter of fear, Boris pushed himself forward, the next few steps somehow managing to not creak as the pair made it to the last landing before Level K. Once they came close to the stacked dressers, Bendy's eyes lit on something tucked just out of sight under the one closest to the far wall, like someone had tried to hide it but hadn't done a very good job.

Taking a few steps forward and craning his nonexistent neck to see, Bendy noticed that the object looked like a tape deck.

Scratch that, it was a tape deck, the devil realized as he pulled it out into the open, staring at it as though that would tell him something about what was on it. Predictably this method was not very successful, but the fact that it had been shoved out of sight like this…All the other tape decks they had seen where in somewhat easy to find places, the only exception to this being Henry's. Maybe there was a reason someone had tried to hide this one?

Bendy glanced up just in time to see Boris peer down at the tape deck as well, the taller toon's eyes narrowing as he too considered it. The devil's fingers found the play button before pausing, a brief frown flashing up to the wolf.

"What's wrong?" Boris rumbled, catching the torn look.

"There might be somethin' important on this, but if we play it, we might be gettin' ourselves into trouble." Bendy rushed out, the wolf's eyes widening a little at the implication.

"But, wait, Bendy-." Boris whispered, fighting to keep his voice at an undertone. "I-It's gonna, you think it might find us, cause'a that?"

"Probably." Bendy conceded after a moment, though from his memory the nearest Lil' Miracle Station was on the floor above them. "If it takes longer'n a minute, we'll drop it an' go. An' if my head starts hurtin', we'll book it right away."

Boris nodded at the makeshift plan, and Bendy quietly pressed the play button, leaving the pair to listen to both the voice that filtered out of the tape deck and for anything that might be trying to hone in on the noise.

" _They say the real problem with Mr. Drew is that he never actually tells us little people anything. Oh sure, according to him there's always big stuff coming, adventure and fame and the like. But I'm the guy, see, who has to make sure our budgets don't go all out of whack just 'cause genius upstairs went out and got himself another idea. Speaking of which, and this is top secret, apparently Mr. Drew has another large project in mind now, and it ain't gonna be cheap."_

There wasn't any sign of anything coming, but Bendy didn't want to wait out in the open any longer than he and Boris had to. Gesturing for the stairs, the devil slid the tape deck back where he found it and hurried to leave, the wolf following close behind. Heading up the staircase, the pair rushed over to the booth and hurriedly got inside. As Bendy curled up as much as he could to give Boris room, the wolf peered out through the slat.

"…I think we're fine. Your head feelin' okay?" And, after a pause. "Bendy?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I feel fine." The devil replied, almost a little too robotically for Boris's comfort. The taller toon crouched down, struggling for a moment with his legs in the cramped space.

"Bendy? Y-Y'sure you feel okay?"

"…Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, my head doesn't hurt. 'm okay." Bendy glanced up at the wolf and noticed the worried frown on the canid face. A similar expression started to form on the smaller toon's own face, though this one was edged with guilt. "Jus', sorry. Thought that would lead t'more, not just another…nothin'."

"It was worth a look, Bendy. An' I'm not mad. So no bein' sorry over it." Boris finished, reaching down to poke at the center of the devil's noseless face. Though Bendy went cross-eyed at the gesture, he still couldn't help a snigger at the familiar motion.

"Yeah, yeah." The devil murmured back, waving away the larger hand. "Still, what'd we learn, really? Nothin' t'help us get out of here."

"Joey…had lotsa projects, an' they cost th' studio a lotta money. An' th' guy talkin' wasn't happy about it 'cause it made his job harder." Boris quietly rattled off, line of sight drifting lower and lower for a few seconds as he thought.

"Again, though. It doesn't help us any." Bendy pointed out. "Unless…th' project was meant to be kept secret…but how does that help anythin'?"

As the devil trailed off, Boris frowned, ears lowering to match the despondence settling into the smaller frame.

"'s okay, Bendy, it was a good idea." A beat, before. "Who d'ya think that was? The guy talkin'?"

"I…don't think I ever got his name, but I remember him. He called Joey in his office an' I answered the phone. Only issue was, I didn' really know how answerin' phones worked."

At the faint snort the mental image of a younger Bendy trying to figure out a phone drew from Boris, Bendy couldn't help a small smile that broke out over his face.

"S-Seriously?"

"Yeah…he said somethin' like 'who is this' after he told me his name, an' I answered him with his own name. Thought he was quizzin' me or somethin'." The faint recollection snapped something into place in Bendy's memory, and he straightened up. "Grant. I just remembered. His name was Grant-somethin'. I don' think I ever really met him face to face, so he didn' work in the animation department."

"Not music department. Don' remember his voice." Boris murmured. Both sat in silence for a minute, listening to the sounds of the machinery grinding about upstairs.

"…Y'think it's gonna come?" Bendy whispered, peering up at the slat in the door though he couldn't see very much from his vantage point. Boris, who had a slightly better angle to look from while seated, let his gaze rove around what he could see of the room outside.

"Think if it was, would've done so by now."

Giving that a nod, the devil waited for Boris to finish checking for anything through the slat, and when another minute rolled by with nothing happening, well, there was hardly any reason to stay in the booth, as they still had, one more cutout to find from his memory. The one before the toy storage room.

However, the fact that they hadn't run into some kind of trouble yet was making Bendy antsy, the devil moving quickly for the stairs the instant his feet hit the floor. The only thing that caused him to slow down was a hissed exclamation from Boris, the taller toon hurriedly catching up to where Bendy was standing on the topmost landing. The ink slicks were still present on the floor, but most of it seemed dry…ish. There was still a patch near the door that was relatively fresh, and everything in the office seemed like it had been done pretty recently. It did bring the black and white ink monster to mind, the fact that the corridor beyond had the same sort of coating to its floor just making Bendy more tense. Was the black and white monster nearby?

Well, they did last see it on this floor, and he hadn't seen it on any of the other levels, so it likely had to be somewhere around. Not that that was particularly reassuring, the thought keeping Bendy peering about the hall and tense as a drawn bowstring while he and Boris headed across and into the storage room. The eerie silence to the area hardly helped, Bendy's eyes peering about the slicks of ink on the wooden floor as he tried to make as little noise as possible. Was there more ink than he remembered, or had it always been like that?

It was a feeling that was compounded when Bendy noticed that the floor of the small hallway before the doorway, right next to the cutout especially, was also liberally covered with ink. That trail seemed reasonably fresh too, like whatever had been tracking ink had been doing so multiple times, going up and down the hall. But why would anything, especially the black and white monster which had had no problem stopping Sammy and the other half-formed monsters, be pushed back?

Though, at the thought of Sammy, the…thing wearing the music director's body suddenly came to mind, forcing the devil to concede that he could probably guess as to why. Come to think of it, his head had hurt, just for a second, while they'd been coming back downstairs following getting jumped by the black and white monster when they were getting the power cores. Maybe it had been reacting to the noise, or it was just ticked that someone else was trying to get at the toons…?

So, did that mean that they weren't on the same side? Seemed to be the case, as from 'Alice's words, the 'moving ink' wasn't exactly anyone's friend, not to mention what had happened to Boris the instant it got too close. Still, the fact that it appeared in seemingly random places made Bendy wonder how exactly it was getting around. Heck, on Level P it had walked out of the spot where the elevator was. Yet, if it had somehow climbed down the shaft, wouldn't his headache have showed up in stages rather than suddenly appearing like it did? Unless there was a range…

Granted, remembering how Sammy had somehow disappeared from a dead end corridor did bring some ideas to mind. Though there'd been no more of those circles from what Bendy had seen, unless the circle wasn't important at all.

There were just too many questions and not enough answers. Which was exceptionally bad when it came to the fact that none of these things meant him or Boris well.

Not to mention, it wasn't exactly helping with what they were dealing with now, the thought kicking in as Bendy considered the cutout propped up against the wall. Peering around revealed that though the corridor floor had gained a new coat of ink, it wasn't otherwise changed, or occupied. The only thing that Bendy noticed that had changed was the fact that the door down at the end had been closed, ink splattered on the front like something had been slammed up against it, or holding the door shut? It was hard to tell from the mess. It was, however, giving him second thoughts about continuing back to the metal doors so Boris could open them. Though, speaking of his pal…

"Boris, what's th' matter?" Bendy hissed, noticing how the wolf had halted just inside the doorway, staring between the cutout and the axe with a distant look in his eyes. Snapping out of whatever daze he'd been in at the devil's whisper, Boris briefly shook himself before answering.

"Nothin'…jus'…had a bad feelin'…"

"What kind of bad feelin'?"

At this, Boris seemed a little reluctant to answer, fingers twitching on the pipe and eyes casting about, like he was expecting something to just jump out of the shadows.

"Like…rememberin' somethin' bad feelin', or y'think somethin's gonna happen kinda feelin'?"

Boris hesitated for a moment before holding out a hand with the palm down and fingers outstretched, waggling it a little to show that it was a little of both.

"…Alright." The smaller toon whispered after an instant. "Then let's break this an' get outta here."

And with that Bendy swung, the cutout dashed to pieces on the floor like the rest. At the noise, Boris jumped, looking about the room like he was expecting something to leap out from one of the ramshackle shelves. Despite both toons peering around, nothing seemed primed to jump out from anywhere at them. Letting a sigh quietly escape from his mouth, Bendy started to walk back to the storeroom door, missing how the door at the end of the short hallway to his left quietly drifted open.

The devil was about to tell the wolf everything was fine, when a faint noise coming from around the corner behind him made him stall, freezing up as he tried to listen. It only made Bendy marginally more prepared for when he was yanked up and backwards by his tail, back around the corner and towards the longer part of the hallway. He only got enough time to grab onto the wall corner and shout Boris's name before he was given another harsh yank, fingers slipping from the old wood.

It was almost funny how Boris turned, at first startled but not comprehending what had happened before his eyes locked onto the little devil being pulled around the corner. A picture-perfect look of shock, horror, and frantic fear flashed into the wolf's muzzle, and before Bendy was pulled out of view he could see Boris's mouth move to form the devil's name. Then whatever had gotten ahold of Bendy shifted its grip, a thick, inky forearm tucking him close to what seemed like the thing's side, and they were off. As the hallway flew by around him, Bendy tried everything he knew to get the monster to drop him, though the position he was being held in didn't allow for much room to bite, and the inky body was too slippery to scratch, punch, or kick. The devil tried to scream and holler as much as he could, anything that would help Boris find him, though the arm of the inky monster around him gave a hefty squeeze. Bendy gasped, coughing as ink from the flooded room splashed against his face.

"Bor-!" He tried again, the constriction of the arm holding onto him cutting off his voice once more. Through a breathless haze, the devil distantly recognized the showroom and the workshop rush past him, the sight provoking a new stab of panic as Bendy guessed where the being was taking him. Back to the hallway with no lights, which would lead them back to the studio and back to the other monsters and Boris would be on his own-!

The thought provoked another round of flailing from the devil, punctuated by everything from wordless hollers to shouted nonsense ranging from insults to pleas, only to get cut off with another suffocating squeeze to his ribs. Bendy struggled for an instant against the inky arm before going limp, limbs jerking at gravity's whim as he was carried through the toy room and down the hall. The monster came to a halt when it got to the door, the metal jerked open just enough for a body to slide through. It wasn't large enough for the creature, who stalled for a moment to put the still form of Bendy down before turning back to the door. The moment the devil was placed on the floor, a pie-cut eye flicked open, taking quick stock of the situation before rolling to his feet and trying to amble as quietly as possible down the hall. For a few seconds it looked like Bendy might get away, the small toon's legs nearly carrying him to the right hallway leading to the toy room before the inky monster paused in its attempts to pull the door open wider and glanced back.

The breath stalled in Bendy's throat, right before he gave up on being quiet and started sprinting pell-mell down the hall, shouting Boris's name with one last burst of air before being tackled from behind. Even though the right side of Bendy's face smacked against the floor, he still retained enough energy to flail against the weight that was pinning him. His efforts were for naught though, as all the devil seemed to do with his efforts was make the monster angry.

With a gurgling roar the towering figure snatched the small toon up off the ground, raising him up over its head and tightening its hand over Bendy's chest as it dragged him back. The devil gasped for air, though his eyes caught sight of the fact that gravity had started to pull the ink on the monster's head down, exposing the shape of what looked like a muzzle filled with bared, black-stained teeth coming narrowly close to Bendy's head.

"B-Bor's…" The devil wheezed out, eyes squinting shut as he weakly scrabbled at the hand holding him up, which just caused him to be shaken like a rattle. He couldn't breathe, and well, silver linings at least he wasn't about to be sacrificed or brainwashed, just be made very very dead. 'Course he would go out this way, though it would probably be better to die as he was, rather than be twisted into something that quite frankly terrified him.

"PUT HIM DOWN!"

The wrathful shout made the shaking stop for an instant, before the monster was blindsided by a shorter figure that had come hurtling down the hallway swinging the pipe and the axe at its face. The first hit connected, the shock causing Bendy to drop to the floor, the sudden rush of air entering his lungs causing a moment of pure clarity that had his eyes focusing on his rescuer in a way that left a picture-perfect impression on the devil's mind. Boris, his teeth bared in a snarl as he swung with the pipe again, though what Bendy zeroed in on was the fact that the taller toon's eyes had changed color. Instead of a pure black, the pie-cut pupil had turned a deep, bloody scarlet, the whites of the wolf's eyes greying over as something appeared to create a film over them. The snapshot of focus lasted only for a second before Bendy hit the ground, dazed and more than a little battered. The small toon could hear what sounded like impacts somewhere off to his right though by the time he managed to turn his head, Boris was rearing back from where the larger monster lay, its limbs giving uncoordinated twitches from its spot on the floor. The other toon had either completely dazed it or had broken something with the pipe.

"B…Bor's?" Bendy faintly called, his tongue running through the syllables with a stunned slur. The wolf definitely picked up the sound, head quickly following the turn of his ears to look over at where the devil lay on the floor. Boris seemed decidedly rattled, muzzle pulled in a look of fright which morphed into a plaintive, teary expression once he'd laid eyes on the smaller toon. Eyes which, Bendy noticed, looked…normal, black on white as they should be. Had he just imagined what he'd seen…?

"B-Bendy…" Boris's voice sounded completely frayed, at the end of his emotional or even mental rope as he shakily began to walk over, pipe and axe lowering to hang limply at his sides. Proper awareness quickly returning, Bendy tried to push himself up with one arm, the other reaching out to the wolf as Boris stumbled closer. The motions pulled at his abused ribcage, but the look on the taller toon's face seemed more important now.

Boris stumbled into a kneel, a hand giving a quick squeeze to the one Bendy proffered though the wolf hurriedly gathered Bendy into his arms, wincing and shakily apologizing when the jostling made Bendy give a pained grunt. Even still, they knew they couldn't stay where they were, and despite the worry Boris began to walk down the right hallway, carrying Bendy nearly to the end before Bendy was taken by surprise by another flood of pain starting from the top of his head and working its way down his spine like a paralyzing lightning bolt.

And, without the usual bastions of mental fortitude Bendy could usually have used to remain on guard even through the pain, the devil became completely adrift in the swirling agony, nearly crying out if it weren't for a hand clamping over his mouth. Distantly he registered the scenery around him changing from light to dark, the space he was in much smaller. What had happened? Where was he?

His attempts to move were immediately stopped, hands grabbing onto his legs while an arm wound round his frame in an effort to keep him still. Before Bendy could even begin to understand why that was, he was swept away by another wave of pain, this time from his ribs which burned under his inky skin. At the renewed attempts to twist away, whoever was holding him began to speak, voice hushed and strained sounding despite an attempt at being soothing.

"Sorry, Bendy, 'm sorry, jus' hold on a moment, it'll be okay-."

Bendy wasn't sure how this was going to be made okay, but for the moment, he had bigger problems. Namely that it felt like his head was splitting open, his hands spasmodically twitching as they fought to do something, whether it be simply grabbing the offending thing or start scratching in an effort to deal with the agony blazing through his skull.

"Bendy, here-." The voice was back, muffled somewhat though no less hurried even while whispering. "Drink this, you'll feel better, please-."

And something was being pressed to his lips, feeling like a glass jar of some kind. For a moment Bendy was a little wary, something flickering in his memory, about how they were supposed to save those, but another boiling stab to his brain made him gulp the liquid, ink he realized, down as if he hadn't drunk anything in weeks. A few moments after it had hit his stomach, a heavy exhaustion began to push past the pain, dulling it and the rest of Bendy's senses as he slid further and further down into an all-encompassing, unfeeling black. At first, the devil tried to fight, the faint recollection of _something terrible, need to run hide_ making his suddenly heavy limbs jerk and pull against whatever was holding them. He might have whimpered, or made some noise, though almost immediately whoever had been talking before started doing so again, murmuring quiet, soothing nonsense into his ear. The last thing he could recall was being held against something warm and faintly trembling, a heartbeat reverberating against the side of his head as everything faded into a dark haze.

"-endy, wake up."

The voice was familiar, but Bendy didn't want to wake up. Everything hurt, and if he went back to sleep he wouldn't have to feel it. However, the speaker seemed to have other plans, and Bendy jolted at a slight squeeze to his bruised leg.

"OW! Oww…" He groaned, eye flying open and fluttering a few times before catching sight of his creator staring down at him with the sort of focused, unblinking stare that usually preceded some form of punishment. No matter how foggy his brain currently was, the sight still managed to cause a knot of nerves to settle in his guts, compounded by the fact that he was basically flat on his back in what seemed like his little drawer bed and in no position to move. Not to mention his vision was half not there, his other eye covered with something and just as sore as the rest of him.

Joey waited, seeming content to let his presence soak in before asking the demon a question in a lightly irritated tone.

"Now then, do you want me to help you or not? Or would you rather end up needing to be carted about, or a cane, for the rest of your life?"

The little devil gave a small nod to the first question, at which his creator turned and hobbled away out of Bendy's sight. Looking around, the smaller toon's eyes took in the familiar settings of the studio head's office, trying to remember how he'd gotten here, and why he felt like he'd fallen down a flight of-.

…Oh, oh right.

The clunking of Joey's cane caused Bendy to tense up again, watching as his creator hobbled back into his vision with a pair of inkwells clutched in his cane-less hand. Joey settled himself down on a chair he'd pulled next to Bendy's drawer bed, setting his cane aside along with one of the inkwells before cracking the top off the remaining one.

"Can you sit up, Bendy?" The studio head abruptly asked, the devil stiffening a little at the sudden acknowledgement before he tried to pull himself upright, only to have his arms tremble and give out, the pain causing his vision to blur at the edges for a moment as he dropped back onto the pillow. Looking down at himself, Bendy could mostly see that his limbs had been wrapped in bandages, though it felt like the mere movement was pulling at the injuries under them.

"N-No, Joey, I can't. Hurts too much." Bendy answered, voice crackling with upset and discomfort. Even still, there was barely a twitch in the studio head's face at the pitiful tone, his expression as calm as ever as his eyes swept over the small toon's frame.

"Alright, I need you to keep still for me Bendy. Can you do that?"

The devil nodded, not really feeling as though he had a choice for much else. Besides, Joey's hand was for the most part gentle as it reached under the smaller toon's frame, propping Bendy up so that he could drink from the inkwell his creator proffered in his other hand. Despite the fact that his insides felt like writhing with the upset energy surging through his nerves, Bendy forced himself to stay still and obey Joey's wishes, even though something about the way his creator was holding the inkwell was nearly forcing the ink into the devil's mouth.

Suddenly some of the ink hit Bendy's throat in just the wrong way, causing him to cough mid-draught and send a spray of the dark liquid splattering over his front and Joey's arm.

"Bendy!" The studio head hissed, the anger plain in his voice making Bendy's aches and twisting guts grow a just a little bit worse. The little devil suppressed a whine as Joey jerkily lowered him back onto the pillow, still racked with hacking coughs that made his whole, aching frame shake in a manner that his injuries definitely didn't like.

"S-Sorr-." He tried, though his lungs were currently prioritizing air over apologizing. Even though the ink was making him groggy, the fact that his creator was standing over him and obviously not very happy summoned up whatever adrenaline Bendy had in his system to stave off sleep for a few moments. Especially when a knock abruptly sounded at the door that made Joey's head snap around like he might have considered hollering at whoever was there. However, whatever apparent rage the studio head had he swallowed down enough to calmly call to whoever was on the other side of the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Henry, Joey. Can I come in?"

Immediately the studio head hobbled over in the direction of the door, his path taking him out of Bendy's line of sight. Bendy could hear the door opening, someone murmuring something right before Joey responded with a brusque 'see for yourself'. The devil's swimming head had just enough time to register the sound of approaching footsteps before a new face appeared in the air overhead. This face, however, had an edge of worry to it despite Henry's best efforts to mask it with a gentle grin. One that fell a little once he'd gotten a good look at the devil's face, the animator quickly kneeling down at Bendy's 'bedside'.

"Hey, Bendy." Henry started, right before he seemed to notice the excess of wet ink at the edges of the devil's face and on what was exposed of Bendy's chest, as well as dotting the blanket, likely enough. "It's alright, kid, we'll get you patched up in a minute-."

"I already did." Joey cut in, Henry's head immediately turning to look at the studio head at the other man's words. "He coughed right as I was helping him with the ink, unfortunately. Half of it's on me, a fair amount got on him."

As the ink-stained sleeve and hand gripping the cane attested to. Bendy felt his expression freeze on his face, though his eyes began to burn as he could feel his browline starting to liquify in spots, hands gripping at the blanket in an effort to send the bad feeling elsewhere. He was sorry, but it wasn't good enough, but he didn't know what else he could be. Not to mention Joey's expression, had he done something wrong, somehow, when he'd had the accident with the door? Maybe Joey'd been busy with something and Bendy having his accident had messed with the something? Maybe he'd broken the door?

He wasn't sure, but this way Joey was acting towards him. Bendy could only say he'd seen the studio head behave this way when he'd been in trouble, so there had to be something wrong, right? He had to have done something wrong in some way. It didn't make much sense, but the poor devil's brain was so scrambled by both nerves and pain that he grasped at the familiar logic.

"Clean him up, then. I'll see to myself." Joey finally said, turning and striding off to somewhere. Henry quickly turned back to the devil in the drawer, and though Bendy was making a valiant effort at keeping the emotional as well as physical strain at bay, the small toon could tell by Henry's next words and tone that he hadn't been very successful.

"It's alright, Bendy. You're going to be alright." The animator soothed, producing a handkerchief from somewhere and gently mopping what he could from the devil's face and chest. Despite the fact that the soreness wasn't about to up and leave, Bendy found the tension steadily uncoiling from his center, face and hands relaxing as his eyes took a few longer-than-normal blinks. Still, the smaller toon managed to stay awake through Henry quietly taking the ink-spotted blanket away, snapping to a more aware state when he heard the animator ask someone if they had a spare blanket. The only person Henry could be speaking to was…

"Here, I'll give you one from the closet. Henry, don't give him that."

"Why? Isn't this…?" The pause had Bendy listening to figure out what was going on. What were they talking about? "Oh. Green ink doesn't work?"

The devil tensed again at the question, and all that implied. Joey was going to give him green ink, was he changing his mind because Henry was there?

"No, it doesn't. Here, he can use these. Make sure he doesn't waste this one."

Bendy could make out a brief shuffling to his right before Henry appeared in his vision again, a blanket across one arm and an inkwell in his hand. The devil allowed the thin but soft blanket to be tucked carefully around his battered form, though when Henry began to open the inkwell and ease Bendy up so he could drink it the smaller toon leaned away to get a better look at what he was being given. His left eye was still swollen closed, but his right was still workable enough to try to see. Henry was at first stymied by the resistance, pulling the inkwell back for a moment as he tried to see what was wrong.

"Bendy, it's alright. It's just normal ink, see?" Letting the fingers that were clasped on the lower part of the inkwell uncurl, showing the black liquid sloshing about under the label. Bendy blinked at it for a moment before meeting Henry's eyes and tried to pull his aching frame up. Picking up on the change, the animator readjusted his grip on the glass and eased Bendy upright so he could drink. This time, it didn't feel like the ink was being forced down his throat, the devil finishing the small bottle off in a few moments. Taking the inkwell away, Henry gently lowered the small toon back down to the pillow, the devil catching sight of Joey watching the pair from his desk chair. However, something rattled its way into coherency in Bendy's mind, and he felt he had to ask before the ink-induced slumber took effect.

"Henry? Where's Al'ce an' Bor's?"

"They're outside, Bendy, they're fine." The animator replied, voice calm and soothing, that coupled with the words nearly enough to nudge the devil off to sleep. He wanted to, given that his stomach still felt a little wobbly, and everything still very much hurt. Bendy could say he was more than ready for the ink to kick in. Albeit, there was still something knocking about in the smaller toon's mind, a fading but shrill alarm flashing in and out with the memory of colored ink, and Joey's cold demeanor. Bendy certainly had no further ideas when it came to what the studio head might have been upset about, nothing confirming or contradicting the instinct that said he might have been the one at fault. However, even if he had known, the sudden image of being alone in such a vulnerable position was enough to get Bendy to fumblingly reach out from the blanket, fingers patting around for a moment before finding Henry's hand, which immediately closed around his own.

"'enry?" The devil slurred, barely waiting for a sign of acknowledgement from the animator before hurrying into what he wanted to say, trying to quickly get it out before consciousness abandoned him entirely. "Don' go."

And, with that, the small toon plunged into darkness, his last memory being that of a familiar hand gently resting on his forehead.

Though, in what seemed like no time at all awareness trickled back in, Bendy feeling a faint twinge in his ribcage first, a fading ache as he properly woke. It didn't help that he was being pressed against something, though the dull irritation was wiped away when he recognized both the furry texture, and the raised, vertical line pressed against his cheek.

"Bor's?" The devil whispered, voice slurring even as the dull exhaustion quickly drained away. However, the reaction to the devil came almost too quickly, with the surface he was propped up on abruptly shifting as Boris tried to peer down to look Bendy in the eye.

"Bendy." The sheer amount of relief in the name was both good to hear and a little worrying. The devil tried to pass a grin to the wolf, but it ended up feeling a little weak to Bendy's own senses.

"…Hey, pal."

Boris honestly looked like he wanted to sweep the smaller toon up in an ecstatically relieved hug, though for the moment he just contented himself with trying to wipe away some of the partially-dried ink that was stuck to the devil's face. Which, there was actually quite a bit of, if Bendy was to be any sort of judge.

"H-How're you feelin'?"

"'m fine, I-." The mostly calm mood vanished the second Bendy remembered how he and Boris had ended up where they were, or, well, bits of it. Some parts were still a little fuzzy. Still, it was enough for the devil to realize that something had come through from the other side of the closed door, just to find him. And, just because they had stopped one didn't mean that there wouldn't be more on the way.

"B-Bendy, wait-!" Boris started to say as the smaller toon wiggled free from the wolf's hold, immediately going for the door-where was his axe, oh blazes he'd dropped it back where he'd destroyed the last cutout- and trying to explain his thought process to Boris in what felt like the few minutes they had.

"We can't go out through the door, Boris, th-there's nothin' but a hallway there, an' if somethin' else tries t'come through, we'll be sittin' ducks."

"Okay, alright, but Bendy-."

Perhaps if he wasn't in such a frantic mood Bendy would have stopped to see what the wolf was trying to tell him, but he was too busy thinking about what else they would have to deal with the longer they stayed near the entrance. Pushing his way out, Bendy stepped out onto the floor, peering about and finding the room thankfully deserted.

"C'mon, Boris." The devil whispered back, managing to get to the middle of the walkway on the right before the wolf managed to catch up to him, grabbing the devil and holding the smaller frame close to his chest like one would a rowdy child. Before Bendy could even start to struggle, the taller toon started to hurriedly whisper in his ear.

"Bendy, somethin' came through the room when you were knocked out, went towards the hall."

It was only then that the devil looked down and realized that he and Boris were standing in an ink slick that went from the stairs down the walkway, and presumably to one of the corridors behind them.

"How long ago?"

"Few seconds, maybe." Boris replied, voice still low. Bendy could feel the taller toon look back, but judging from the lack of a reaction, the wolf didn't see anything.

"…Alright, put me down, we're goin."

Once Boris set him down on his feet and handed him the axe, Bendy glanced back and pointed towards the stairs. At the wolf's answering nod he started to move forward, trying to keep his steps as light as he could.

A faint clanging echoed from somewhere, both toons peering around the cavernous room for a moment before Boris tapped Bendy on the shoulder and shakily pointed to the hallways behind them. Giving a nod, Bendy reached out and grabbed Boris's hand, leading the taller toon as silently as he could to the stairway. It wasn't until they'd gotten to the middle of the gated walkway that Boris suddenly turned to look behind them and quickly reached out to tap Bendy on the shoulder again. The devil looked around the wolf's taller frame to see what Boris had seen and felt the breath stall in his throat as he caught sight of something moving at the far end of the room.

The black and white monster was sliding in from the far hallway with as much silence as it could muster. Bendy's fingers tightened around Boris's hand, the wolf squeezing back as the pair tensed, ready to run as the inky creature reached the end of the gated walk.

And…didn't do anything, didn't snarl, didn't try to chase them even though they were standing right in the open. Instead it pulled itself down to the left side of the room, head sweeping about like it was looking around, but it couldn't be because it already glanced in their direction at least three times and nothing had happened.

It couldn't see them, the realization hitting home when the large hands the monster was pulling itself around with started to feel about at the railings and toys, missing the gated walkway entirely. It probably heard the racket but couldn't see where they were, and if they stayed quiet then they could sneak away with it being none the wiser. Bendy threw a glance back at Boris to point back at the right staircase, pressing a gloved finger to his lips for quiet. Keeping the still-searching monster in view, the pair began to ease their way back to the stairs, trying to feel out the boards on the floor to make the least amount of noise. They were right next to the fountain, but the ambient sound of the ink could only hide so much. At first, it seemed to be smooth sailing, with Bendy having made it to the third step on the staircase and Boris just about to leave the landing to join the devil. However, in his zeal the wolf tried to bypass the first two steps and ended up putting a considerable amount of weight on the third, which groaned.

Both toons froze, Bendy peering over and Boris doing his best to pivot without moving to look in the direction of the monster. It too had paused at the sound, head swinging around before it turned its whole body towards them, and though it wasn't exactly rushing over it definitely seemed to have a bit more purpose to its movements now. Though it wasn't exactly the start of a chase, the fact that the black and white monster was coming in their direction made Bendy start to panic, the devil grabbing onto Boris's hand and throwing himself up the stairs, the wolf soon to follow. The clatter of noise drew a gurgled cry from the ink-covered monster, the long arms working overtime as it tried to pull itself across the floor. The moment Bendy's feet had touched the landing, Boris snatched the smaller toon up and tucked him against his chest, facing backwards. From the new perch, Bendy had a perfect view of the black and white monster sliding to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. Though it did try to pull itself up, the manner in which it moved kept it from accelerating up the incline, though it was definitely trying as hard as it could. Boris, however, had no such problems and quickly dashed down the catwalk and into the workshop, easily carrying Bendy through and to the showroom. While they ran, Bendy caught sight of a new slick of ink on the floor, leading to under the worktable and then going out the door and to the right. The observation was quickly whisked out of view as Boris ran on, a plaintive, watery cry coming from somewhere near the catwalk door.

The studio halls blurred in the devil's vision, Boris flying through the inky room, the hall, and back around the corner into the lift room, only really pausing once to grab the axe that Bendy had dropped at the door to the ink-logged toy room when he'd been grabbed. Not that the devil was in really much of a frame of mind to say anything apart from being distantly relieved that Boris remembered the axe, instead opting to practically cling to Boris as much as his shaky hands would allow. It was only when Bendy noticed that the wolf was starting to wheeze with the exertion from the pell-mell sprint that he started reaching up to grab at the taller toon's arm.

"B-Boris! Boris, stop!"

Though the shout did get the wolf to glance down at him, Boris didn't stop running until he'd gone to the end of the lift room catwalk, down the stairs, and right across to the booth across the room. The taller, inky frame practically threw itself into the little seat, though Bendy wasn't set down, instead the little toon was yanked to rest onto the wolf's lap, practically crushed against the furry chest. Not that the devil minded, squeezing back with all of the strength his comparatively smaller arms could muster. The pair sat in silence for a long while, the hum of the studio around them masking any sounds of distress or wary relief that managed to seep from beyond the grimy boards.

Though Bendy knew that his arms were practically quivering like jello, he at the very least was managing to recover a little quicker than Boris, who was starting to sound a little bit too much like he was…well, the gasping sobs were starting to sound a little too familiar.

"Boris, Boris, 's okay. I'm here, you got me."

It took a moment for the whimpers the wolf was making to condense into words, though Bendy's heart immediately dropped at the quiet, teary murmurs.

"'m stupid, 'm so stupid, wh-why did I e-even turn aroun'-."

"Pal, c'mon don' say that. You're not stupid, I shoulda been more careful t'start with. This one's on me."

"Y'coulda b-been…b'fore…a-an' I…I-I saw…it looked like me, Ben-."

"But it's not, alright? You're here with me, heck you came an' saved my bacon, Boris. Twice." The unintentional slip of the tongue did get a warbling, weak chuckle from the taller toon, though the sniffling and shakes took a few more minutes to fade. Bendy simply kept up the steady stream of noise, ranging from reassurances to corny, terrible jokes that caused the wolf's breathing to rocket between helpless giggles to watery, stifled laughter. After a bit the conversation fell quiet, Boris slumping a little against the back of the booth with his eyes closed, breathing still a little clogged but going at a steady, deep pace. Bendy simply opted to stay still, letting his head rest against the wolf's chest and mostly trying to relax himself with the taller toon's heartbeat thundering against his ear. It also put Bendy right at level with the spot he'd noticed a few times before, the raised line under Boris's fur. A frown started to blossom on the devil's face, the sensation of the scar against his skin making the sight of white streaks on inky black fur resurface in his mind's eye.

 _ **Your fault…**_

The memory caused Bendy to shift about, though not for very long given that immediately after the smaller toon started to move Boris seemed to snap to life. The wolf's arms tightened in a manner that caused a breath to rush out of Bendy's lungs with a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeak and a gag.

"'or's loos' up…" The devil wheezed out, the wolf realizing what he was doing a second later and instantly letting go with a hushed, quick apology.

"'s okay, Boris. You alright?"

"Yeah, 'm…was I sleepin'?"

"Pretty sure you were, pal. Dead t' th' world. Only thing missin' was you sawin' logs." Bendy quipped, causing Boris to smile with a light snigger. Despite the fact that it had stayed quiet outside the pair knew they couldn't stay long, not if the black and white monster was still out there and trying to find them. Though, as Bendy thought about it, he wasn't sure why 'Alice' hadn't at least said something over the intercoms. Hadn't they gotten all of the cutouts? Granted, maybe they had and she did but they didn't hear it because of that…catastrophe, but he couldn't help but feel like they would have heard something. She usually seemed to wait until they came back near the elevator, and there hadn't been anything.

It truly boggled the mind until Bendy had stepped out of the booth with Boris and happened to notice another cutout tucked into a space boxed in by the elevator cage and the stairs. The wolf glanced over at the irritated huff of a sigh, following Bendy's line of sight until he too caught sight of the errant bit of cardboard.

"Huh."

"Yeah. Huh. I swear…" Bendy could only say, leaving the rest of the declaration hanging when he remembered the fact that there still might be a two-way intercom in the room and the person on the other end was insofar their only chance at getting out. Even still, the devil kept the scowl firmly on his face as he stormed as quietly to the stairs as he could muster. Luckily, he could pretty easily climb over the back railing for the stairs, gesturing for Boris to stay on the landing. Levying the axe in his hands, Bendy wound up and swung, the blade easily breaking the cardboard into pieces that spilled all over the floor. The moment it was done the intercom crackled, 'Alice's voice quickly filling the room.

 _ **"Ah, now that was fun! Oh, but I forgot to mention…it hates when I do that. I would hide if I were you.**_ "

That was about the only warning Bendy got before a familiar pain suddenly roared into being behind his eyes as the top of the stairs grew dark, though the moment the meaning of what 'Alice' was saying became clear the devil was already trying to scramble back up to the stairs. Boris was holding out his arms, immediately grabbing Bendy once he'd clambered up. Which ended up working out for the smaller toon given that the headache had grown to the point where there were spots blinking about the edges of his vision. It made the transition from the room to the inside of the booth seem more like teleporting, though Bendy ignored it and focused on not crying out and alerting the thing to where they were.

His fingers found his scarf, shakily biting down on the worn fabric as the pain reached a new pitch, causing his eyes to tear and body to tense up tighter than a coiled spring. Though Boris couldn't say anything, the wolf held the devil's smaller frame close to his chest, fingers gently kneading around the black horns to give whatever comfort he could. And outside, the sound of ink mingled with the lighter, sliding sounds of legs dragging themselves across the floor of the catwalk. As it came closer to the space above them, Boris felt his breathing start to hitch, a thunderous, disorientating pounding reverberating through his chest. The kneading turned into desperate clinging as the wolf tried to slow down his own racing heartbeat.

Just as the pain reached a crescendo that had Bendy's insides putting themselves in tense, nauseating knots and Boris's frame shake with suppressed coughs, it vanished, the dark whirls outside going away with it. The devil took a deep breath, feeling like his lungs were straining to regather the air they hadn't been able to get when he was nearly writhing with pain. Huddled around him, Boris slumped against the back of the booth, the very act of breathing causing as much exertion as if the wolf had tried to run a marathon. For a moment the pair simply sat and tried to just breathe, listening as the faint clanks and whirring of the machinery filtered in around them. There was nothing slithering, no sounds of heavy, plodding footsteps overlaid with ink nearly cascading from the ceiling.

It was gone, whatever it was, and they were alright.

Well, not completely alright, Bendy had to ruminate as his breathing returned to a normal rate, they still needed to get out of here. And 'Alice' was the only one who could do that now. The door was out of the question; heck, the devil didn't want Boris to go near any of it considering what had just happened. Question was, did he want to take time going down the stairs with what seemed like more things out to get him, and put both himself and Boris at risk?

Well, he thought as he remembered what was outside of the booth they were in, they might have other options…

"Boris?" Bendy whispered, continuing when the wolf peered down at him. "Wanna try using the elevator t'go back down?"

For a few honest seconds Bendy wasn't sure if the taller toon might protest going back down to 'Alice', before the wolf gave a quiet nod.

They waited a few more minutes to be sure that everything was clear before getting out of the Lil' Miracle Station, hurrying across the room and pressing the 'call' button for the elevator. It took an agonizing few seconds for it to actually come, though the pair dashed inside the instant the gates opened and pressed the button for Level 9.

Just as the elevator started to go down, movement on the catwalk caught Bendy's eye, just in time for him to see the black and white ink monster pull itself to the railing. It could have just been the devil's imagination, but it seemed to react to the sound of the lift pulling away, hurrying along the catwalk to the stairs. They were swept out of sight before it could come near, and though Bendy worried that it might try to break through the gates and jump down, nothing further happened. Instead, the intercom gave a crackle, and 'Alice' started to speak.

 _ **"Once upon a time there was an angel. And she was beautiful. And loved by all. She was perfect. No matter what Joey says."**_ The strange, trembling break at the tail end of the little story left Bendy feeling both sympathetic and cold. Joey, Joey, everything went back to his creator. Joey did this, Joey did that, Joey murdered a studio-full of people trying to do god-knows what and turned people into monsters. Trying to do the same to him. And the ones that he couldn't turn or didn't see the need to…he killed them over and over, like Boris and the Butcher Gang.

 _You said you were going to take care of us, Joey,_ Bendy couldn't help but think, head bowing as the tension wound tighter and tighter in his small frame, settling heavily into his shoulders, head, and guts. The devil didn't even realize that he'd started dripping until Boris reached down, a long-fingered hand resting on the ragged coat's shoulder. Bendy didn't look up, but he did lean into the taller toon's frame, head pressing into the overall for a moment before Boris decided to simply kneel on the floor and wrap the smaller frame in an equally nerve-wracked hug. The floors ground by one after the other, and the intercom did not fire off with any more soliloquies.

It seemed far too soon that Level 9 arrived, the elevator coming to a creaking halt. Boris followed Bendy down to the top landing, the devil gesturing for the wolf to stay as he went across the bridge. However, before he could even begin to drop the axe down the chute, the intercom suddenly rang out, the warped voice reverberating with fury.

 _ **"The disgusting wretches have wandered my halls, have been left unchecked! They're trying to drag me back to the darkness! Don't let them take your angel! Purge them, one by one! Smash them into puddles! Kill them!"**_

Bendy leapt back from the chute covering, his fear only compounded by the sudden appearance of a half-formed monster right next to him on the landing, and the distant howling cry of some horror coming from across the bridge. Albeit, it was only after he'd slammed the axe through the ink creature's form did he remember why that was bad; Boris was still across the bridge, with whatever was coming.

Racing down the stairs, Bendy tried to make his way to his pal, only to be stopped by two ink monsters popping up on the bridge. Chancing a glance up as he hopped back, Bendy made eye contact with Boris, who had already started to run forward at the first sign of trouble.

"Bendy!" The devil could see the wolf's mouth moving, but the cry was overridden by the howling snarls of whatever was coming down the stairs, and the gurgled hisses of the two ink monsters right in front of the smaller toon. Swinging the axe, Bendy managed to catch both creatures in the head with the blade, looking up to see movement on the staircase. Namely, that of three Butcher Gang toons stumbling down the steps to them.

"Boris, behind you!" Bendy hollered, pointing in the direction of the stairs. Though Boris had already turned, he was backing up to the bridge and putting himself between the oncoming trio and the devil. The realization made Bendy start, because like hell was he letting the wolf get himself hurt on his behalf. By the time the devil started forward, the first, a copy of the captain toon, had already surged ahead. The wolf managed to catch it with the pipe, but the hit only knocked it to the side and left the way open for the one with the chattering mouth to duck in and try punching at Boris. The wolf jumped away, Bendy sweeping in and swinging the axe into the patchwork toon's head. Even still the mangled frame flopped about, striking at Bendy though the axe kept it away. The devil was forced to move back, partially because his weapon had gotten stuck, and partially because the last zombie toon, the one with the disconnected head, had tried to angle in while Bendy was distracted and Boris was busy fending off the captain.

Bendy's efforts to move the axe ended up causing something to give in the betoothed zombie's head, the similarly sized frame falling apart. It didn't stop the one with the bouncing head from swinging the disconnected body part at the little devil, the teeth managing to clamp down on Bendy's coat sleeve just in time for Boris to bat the captain aside for good and whirl around.

"Bendy!" The wolf hollered, immediately rushing forward, though Bendy had already reacted, swinging one-handed to catch the zombie toon's body in the side. The shock caused it to jolt about and fall, accidentally pitching under the guardrail and over the side into the ink river below. Just as the gravity from the fall started to act on the devil and brought him crashing to his knees into the wooden rails. Just as the strain was starting to hurt Bendy managed to angle the axe again to get in a good strike. As the patchwork toon's jaw grew slack, Bendy yanked his sleeve away, pulling back up and straight into Boris's more-than-slightly shaking arms.

They hardly had time to breathe, as the rancorous din hadn't abated. In fact, hobbling down the stairs was another horde of toon zombies, still copies of the same characters from the Butcher Gang. Bendy counted about five in total, letting Boris pull him back to the other side of the bridge. Which, the devil reasoned, was probably a good idea given that it forced the patchwork toon zombies to come at them two at a time, at the most.

Boris did try to push Bendy behind him, though the small toon was having none of that. The devil forced himself to stand level with the wolf, throwing Boris a sharp look before turning his attention to the oncoming horde. Still, Boris was the one that swung first, leaning in a little to force the first two back and giving Bendy the opportunity to hack at Chattering-Teeth-Three-Arms as the zombie tried to slip under the wolf's arms and take a shot at him. The axe slammed directly into the side of its head, and into the realistic-looking eye, Bendy swallowing back a disgusted shiver as he pulled away just in time for the patchwork toon to fall back into ink. One of the zombie toons did survive its encounter with Boris's pipe, and ambled back into the fray, along with the Detached-Head-Bitey-Guy following behind. That one, whom Bendy had started to dub 'Captain Hobbles', started to swing with an arm that looked like it was almost fused with a wrench.

The observation made Bendy pause, just long enough that Boris was forced to jolt away and got a glancing blow on his left side with the wrench. At the wolf's yelped whine, the devil felt his vision tunnel, axe automatically swinging to connect with Captain Hobbles's shoulder. The hit caused the zombie-toon to fall apart, the axe continuing through the motion to connect with Detached-Head-Bitey-Guy and cut the string holding its head to the rest of the body. That alone did some damage, the body stumbling as the head rolled around on the bridge and over the side and into the ink below. Nary a moment after the head dropped out of sight, the now headless body lurched around even more erratically for an instant longer before exploding, the ink spraying everywhere and discombobulating the other combatants.

Bendy hurriedly ducked behind his arm to avoid getting a face full of ink, a real possibility judging from the state of Boris's overalls once he looked up, the off-white fabric nearly drenched on the left pantleg. However, the wolf had been able to bring up an arm to stop the spray from getting to his face, the lone Butcher Gang character had been completely splattered with the amount that had gone towards it, another copy of Chattering-Teeth-Three-Arms stood there before seeming to snap back into the moment and charging forward, right before getting clobbered by Boris's pipe. As the pipe crashed into it and sent it reeling towards the railing, its warped frame collided with one of the wooden posts and knocked it apart entirely.

It was only then that quiet finally settled into the cavernous room, the last, ringing echoes of the Butcher Gang's howls reverberating off the rafters before fading away entirely. It took Bendy a moment to remember that Boris had in fact been injured in the scuffle, though the instant he did the devil immediately rushed to the wolf. It didn't seem like there was any ink leaking, a careful hand brushing over the fur on Boris's side confirmed that there weren't any open injuries. Bendy still caught a slight wince on pass over the wolf's face, even as he leaned to grab at Bendy's newly-frayed coat sleeve. Catching the taller toon's objective, the devil lifted his arm, letting Boris's fingers feel out the sleeve, and even gently roll it up to check the arm underneath it.

Not that Bendy was in any mind to deny the wolf, besides the damage wasn't very bad. If anything, the worst Bendy could say he had was some soreness and maybe bruising, but he wasn't going to bother the wolf over that. The physical evidence that the smaller toon was indeed alright did ease some of the worry from Boris, though the wolf was kept from asking any more questions when a crackling in the speakers over their heads heralded 'Alice's own input into the moment.

 _ **"So quiet. Like a welcoming grave. I like the silence, don't you?"**_

Bendy had to bite his tongue to keep from making a quip about how downright cheery that was, his nerves more than a little frayed by everything he'd had to deal with since getting trapped in the toyshop. His uncharacteristic quiet was helped as both of Boris's hands landed on his shoulders, the wolf's frame drawing inward at the sound of the warped angel's voice. Not that she was finished speaking.

" _ **I hate leaving work unfinished! Fortunately, I have you to pick up the pieces. But you'll have to go even deeper. Down, down, down, into the abyss. Take the lift down. Say hello to an old friend."**_

She…wanted them to go down? But they'd been on most all of the floors, hadn't they? Where else was there to go?

But, from Bendy's memory, there had been another button in the lift, with a label that he didn't remember seeing on any of the other floors that he'd been on. They hadn't tried pressing it, though, and from what he'd seen, there hadn't been any other way to go further down. No stairs or anything like that.

" _ **Sending you a little present. A little firepower. Take good care of it. It belonged to someone very special."**_

The sudden speech yanked the devil from his thoughts, the wording throwing him off. Firepower? Belonged to someone special? What could she mean by that?

He got his answer at the sound of the turnstile revolving around, and when Bendy padded his way to exchange the axe, the thing he saw sitting in the metal container nearly made his jaw drop.

A gun, a tommy gun to be precise. The warped, crazy, ink-thirsty psycho of an angel was giving them a gun.

Bendy blinked hard, internally counting to three before opening his eyes and looking again. Nope, the gun was still very much there. Waiting for him to grab it. Looking to Boris, the devil found that the wolf seemed to be just as equal parts nonplussed and mildly disturbed as him. But, someone needed to do something.

Though a thought briefly flared through Bendy's mind about how he didn't have the faintest idea how to use these things, his fingers still shakily closed around the metal gun, taking care to avoid touching where it looked like the trigger was. The devil managed to lift it off the rest, and into his arms, right before the hard surface suddenly turned squishy, the gun liquifying into ink in his hands.

" _ **Oops. I forgot. It's a little hard to get ahold of. Oh well. Better luck next time."**_

Immediately Bendy felt several emotions, one being slight relief as the gun was nearly as tall as him and would have been unwieldy to carry, the other being pure shock and more than slight irritation because _how dare you you cruel, psychotic nutjob_ -!

Swallowing down the new one Bendy'd been planning to verbally ream the angel, the small toon spun on his heel, reaching out and grabbing Boris's hand and steering rather than pulling the wolf after him down the stairs. Not that Boris seemed interested in fighting the devil, easily falling into step behind the smaller toon. The cage of the lift was already sliding open as they approached, the pair hesitating at the border between wood and the elevator floor.

Bendy knew in his heart of hearts that it would be easier to go, that they had their last avenue of retreat cut off and the 'angel' was the only way out. Besides, he hadn't been to the aforementioned floor, and there could be something worth seeing down there. There might be a way back to the exit, or another way out entirely. However, he wasn't sure he'd want to drag Boris down there with him but leaving the wolf behind seemed like an even worse idea, especially if there was something to be found.

Glancing up at Boris, Bendy happened to catch the wolf's eye. For a moment, the taller toon looked about as uncertain as the devil felt, before something seemed to quietly steel itself in Boris's eyes, his ears raising back upright and posture drawing out of the tense huddle that it kept falling into. Even as he watched, Bendy felt himself doing the same, tail uncoiling from where it was around his legs to flick about behind him, shoulders steadily dripping tension as though it were simply boiling off.

Alright, well, as long as he wasn't alone, he could handle it.

He wasn't alone.

The thought gave Bendy enough bravery to step forward, Boris moving right at his side into the lift. The metal cage clicking closed around them did dim the assuredness somewhat, but as a minute went by with nothing happening Bendy had a beat to recollect himself, and figure that if he wanted to get this show on the road he'd probably need to press the button. Funny thing though, as 'Alice' hadn't needed him to press it before when she brought him and Boris down to Level 9 the first time.

Maybe she only could control the elevator sometimes, which was heartening. Or perhaps she was just messing with them for kicks, which was decidedly less heartening. Either way, they certainly couldn't go up.

So, with a click of the button labeled 'Level 14', down the pair went, the lift clanking and creaking around them as it descended further down into the depths of the studio. Just as the lift clattered out of sight, silence descended over the cavernous room, broken only by the light noise of the ink rushing through the channel under the bridge with the distant rumble of machinery overhead. However, even as the sounds gently echoed through the room, they were joined by another, quieter noise of ink dripping, and a rhythmic splatting. The noise barely echoed in the room, fading out almost as quickly as it had come, but nary a moment later, a black and white frame pulled itself to the doorway.

* * *

Bendy watched the walls slide by, keeping close to Boris's side as he tried to piece together what might be coming. 'Alice's description of Level 14 as the 'abyss' wasn't exactly encouraging, making the devil wonder if there was even a proper bottom level to the lift. Heck, he wouldn't've thought that the studio would even go down as far as the toyroom, the fact that there were bigger spaces at all made him wonder if they were going to eventually just hit the stuff folks said was in volcanoes. Lava, he thought it was called. At this point Bendy wasn't sure if that would have surprised him.

The thoughts were scattered as the lift clattered to a halt, a new, enormous space in view beyond the metal cage. Bendy wasn't too sure if the reason everything was so dark was because it was too big, that the walls were covered with ink, or that there weren't that many lights down here. For all he knew, it could have been some combination of the three. Still, with the fact in mind that 'Alice' might very well be able to tell if they were still on the lift, the smaller toon stepped off onto the wooden floor, Boris not far behind. Catching sight of a landing with stairs leading down, Bendy padded over as quietly as he could, peering down to see another catwalk leading around a corner.

He could hear Boris creaking on the stairs behind him as he went along the railing, trying to peer into the semi-darkness to see what he could find. The first thing that caught Bendy's eye though, was an alcove with a lit-up, enormous statue of himself sitting on a pedestal, raised a bit over the floor. However, the devil only had a minute to feel intimidated by that, as the sudden appearance of a bouncing light at the left-hand side of the space drew his eye. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to make of the creature, though Bendy quickly realized with a start that it was the same one that he and Boris had seen upstairs. Speaking of the wolf, the instant the newcomer's presence had made itself known, the taller toon had quickly reached out and drew the devil away from the railing. Something that Bendy wholeheartedly supported given that he still wasn't sure what that thing was capable of, or what it would do if it spotted them.

And, almost in answer, the speakers crackled near the elevator, 'Alice's voice echoing off the walls as she spoke.

 _ **"Shhh…there he is. The Projectionist. Skulking in the darkness. You be sure to stay out of his light, if you don't want trouble. Just bring me back the pieces I need."**_

Though the crackling speech from the aged speakers was certainly loud enough for the toons to hear, the…Projectionist didn't even so much as turn in their direction, something Bendy caught onto in a heartbeat. If the Projectionist couldn't hear them, that might put them at an advantage, given that they'd hear and see the monster coming when it could only see them…maybe. The devil couldn't really imagine how well one could see with a projector on their head.

Still, as the towering, lumbering figure moved out of sight into what looked like a door opposite, the pair had begun to inch forward, heading along the catwalk until they came to a flight of stairs heading down. At the bottom Bendy paused, realizing that the ink he'd noticed from the catwalk was a veritable pool encompassing all of the floor, if there even was one down here. Noticing Boris stop next to him, Bendy passed a look to the wolf before peering about to see if he could pick out anything in the room that might be dangerous. The Projectionist may have been long gone, but he wouldn't put it past 'Alice' to know something else about this place and simply forget to tell them. Still, nothing moved apart from some dust floating on the air, the ink remaining silent and still though Bendy could hear it glopping down from the walls and ceiling. Warily he put a foot in, relieved when he felt floor a few inches under. The ink itself wasn't too deep, it just went up to the devil's knees, which meant that for Boris it would probably be just up to the midpoint of the wolf's shins. Looking back, Bendy caught sight of the taller toon frozen in an attempt to reach out to him, mouth partially open as though to call out though something, perhaps the overwhelming nature of the space, stopped Boris from doing so.

However the moment the wolf noticed that Bendy was fine and hurriedly motioning for the taller toon to join him, Boris gingerly stepped into the ink, expression only slightly relieved by the relatively low level to the dark fluid. Though the initial sounds of their legs sloshing through the ink did give them pause, it was silently agreed that they couldn't really go back. Not when 'Alice' controlled the elevator. And while they couldn't see anything they could hide in, or any sign that the noise had drawn some kind of pursuit, the pair knew that staying in one place likely wouldn't lead to anything good.

An odd shape in the ink in front of them drew Bendy's eye, and as he tried to move forward as quietly as possible the devil was able to make out more and more of it, realizing what it was after an instant. It was a box, the wood stained black by the ink, sitting at an inch or two over the devil's waist. And, on top of the dark and probably rotten wood, was another tape deck.

Perhaps he might have had more hesitation if anything had responded to their earlier attempts to move through the ink, and nothing appeared to be coming even now. Bendy passed a look to Boris, only going to press the play button after he'd gotten an affirming nod from the wolf. The voice that filtered out of the aged, ink-stained device was a surprisingly familiar one, the pair straightening at the words.

" _Now I'm not lookin' for trouble. It's just the nature of us projectionists to seek out the dark places. You see, I've learned the ins and outs of this here studio. I know how to avoid being bothered by the likes of this…company. That projectionist, they always say, creepin' around, he's just lookin' for trouble. Well, trouble or not I sees everything. They don't even know when I'm watchin'. Even when I'm right behind 'em_."

The last sentence of the tape caused both toons to glance warily around, though the lumbering monstrosity they'd seen from the deck above was long gone. For now.

"Th-That was Norman?" The choked, hushed note in Boris's voice made Bendy look up, a hand reaching to grab the wolf's.

"We can't help 'im, Boris. 'm sorry, we jus' haveta get the stuff an' get outta here." And it was true, they couldn't, not as far as Bendy knew. As Boris glanced down at him, eyes tearing and face drooping in misery, the devil wished he could give some answer, could take it back and give some hope to the idea that Norman, and hell, all the rest could be saved.

But, as far as he knew, there was nothing. And right now, they needed to look out for each other first before trying to help anyone else. But, well, the only way out of here was to get what 'Alice' wanted, and she hadn't been exactly clear on what that might have been. Maybe there was a clue somewhere…? Coming round, Bendy came to the doorway of the room that…that Norman had been coming out of, and nearly tripped over something partially submerged in the ink. At the sudden sloshing, Boris quickly hurried over, keeping any cries locked in his vocal chords in case something was around to hear. Thankfully, Bendy managed to regain his balance before he could fall, though once he got a look at what he'd stumbled over the devil was almost sure he'd rather have a face-full of ink.

Because the crumpled shape partially submerged in the black fluid was another Butcher Gang toon, just as crudely patchworked and gruesome as the rest. But what made the smaller toon's insides freeze, and Boris's hands still in their place on Bendy's shoulders, was the condition the zombie-fied, cobbled-together toon was in. It was very dead, to start off, but the cause was not so simple as something having gone and bludgeoned it to lifelessness. No, it's ribcage was ripped open, and a heart of mechanical parts held in a hand somehow propped above the ink.

Pieces. 'Alice' said she wanted pieces. And judging from what Bendy had seen when he went into her part of the toyshop, this might be very well what she meant. Numbly, the small toon reached down to poke at the heart, the thought that Norman, or something else, coming along making his fingers close around the metallic organ. The slight give and squishing noise it yielded when he picked it up nearly made Bendy want to lose his lunch again, if there was even anything his stomach could still throw up.

However, the thought was immediately ditched as the sound of quickening breathing from behind him reminded Bendy of who else was here and might have a worse reaction to this sort of situation. Quickly turning, the devil retained just enough presence of mind not to drop the heart, instead shoving it into his pocket as he faced Boris.

The wolf wasn't quite as bad as he had been those few times before, though there was a distant, glazed look to his eyes that Bendy could definitely say he didn't like. Coupled that with the fact that the taller toon's breathing had started to speed up, and the devil could definitely say that the worst was not far off.

"Boris, Boris, just look at me." Bendy started to say, sloshing forward through the ink. The noise did draw the wolf's eyeline, but Boris still gripped the pipe like a lifeline, a hand coming up to shakily grasp at his chest, right over the spot where-.

The moment the movement registered, Bendy made up his mind as to what he was going to say next. Boris probably wasn't going to like it but making him come along with this seemed like an even worse idea.

"Boris…" Bendy whispered, the name barely making a sound though he knew that the wolf had heard. "Jus'…go back t'th' elevator, o-okay?"

But Boris was shaking his head, a watery whine sliding out of his mouth as tears started the slide down his face. He wouldn't look at the pocket where Bendy had hurriedly stowed the…heart, but neither would he take one step back up to the lift.

"Boris, please, I don' wan' you dealin' with this. Jus' go, it's okay."

"Don' wan' you d-dealin' with this…!" The taller toon answered back, shakes beginning to reverberate through his frame and voice even as steel started to creep into his eyes and straightened his spine.

"I'll deal with it anyway. I always do." The toneless response didn't really seem to be the right thing to say, Bendy looking away as that fact registered. However, this caused him to completely miss how Boris's eyes widened at the words, the meaning strengthening his resolve and hardening his jittery frame. With a swallow, and a deep, shaky breath of air, Boris abruptly reached down and plucked the devil up off the floor, practically tucking Bendy under his arm before he started to move forward, with the pipe upraised in his other hand.

"B-Boris-?" The smaller toon half-hissed, half-squeaked, more than a little thrown off by the sudden disorientation of ending up parallel to the floor. It took the wolf a moment to actually articulate what was going through his mind, the explanation coming out a little choppy at first.

"No. You aren't. You won't. Cause I'm not goin' away 'r stayin' behind this time. An' I won't be doin' it again cause that's not what pals do. An', Bendy?" Boris asked, only continuing once he could see the devil looking up at him. "Runnin' away 'r not, y'never stopped bein' my pal. Even with everythin'."

Even though the relative darkness of the doorway made it a little hard to see, Boris's more nocturnal vision was able to pick out a few things. Like the sudden shine to the smaller toon's eyes, and a dribble of ink that was starting to break free from the black widow's peak. The sight made the wolf pause, his earlier confidence starting to slip a little in the face of the apparent upset; it certainly hadn't been his intention to make Bendy cry.

"I-I'm sorry, Ben, don'-don' cry, okay? I jus'-."

"Boris, 's okay, really." The devil mumbled, voice thick as he tried to scrub at whatever loose liquids there were on his face, whether they be ink or tears. Still, Bendy hardly sounded unhappy. Emotional, but not unhappy.

"'n fact, think I mighta needed t'hear that. Thanks." And, because Bendy was Bendy, the devil quickly followed up the heartfelt comment with a warm jibe. "When th' heck did you become the smart one?"

"I gotta be, 'cause I gotta look out for you."

The familiarity to the wolf's reply caused the smile to fully break over Bendy's features. Still, he had one last thing to say before giving up and letting Boris take the lead.

"Yer still a big sap."

Boris could really only shrug at that, the somewhat good mood disappearing as the pair rounded a corner and came upon a projector pointing at a wall. Still hanging under Boris's arm, Bendy craned his neck to peer at the strange set up, noticing that there was a snippet from a cartoon playing on the wall. It wasn't much, just a clip of Bendy himself walking with what looked like a picnic basket in hand. The sight stirred something in the devil's memory, Boris too staring with faint recognition of what he was seeing. Though, for the moment, Bendy was more worried about the implication from Norman's recent tape, that he could see everything in the studio. Or at the very least, everything on this floor.

Could this be how he was doing it? It might be a long shot, but Bendy wasn't really sure why there'd be projectors just lying around otherwise. It made a disturbing amount of sense, in a conclusion-leaping kind of way. It was a theory that made even more sense when rounding the next corner bought the pair to another projector pointed at the wall to their immediate left, this time displaying an image of an incensed Bendy walking up to Boris, the wolf having the picnic basket in front of him and eating a sandwich.

Well, Bendy thought as Boris passed warily in front of the flickering image, at the very least if Norman was going to be able to see them, it might take him a while to actually find them. From what the devil had seen, the old projectionist wasn't moving especially quick. Not that he wanted to find out the hard way what Norman's top speed was, but cold comforts were definitely something in this situation.

Peering down the hallway gave Bendy a look at another piece of the short, this one depicting a small dark figure, the toon devil himself, leaning up against what looked like a very large rock. There were also more booths in here too, as Bendy could see one of them to the left of the flickering image. However, while the devil had been staring straight ahead, Boris's eyes had alit on something in a small knoll in the wall to their left. Upon feeling the wolf's arm tense up around him, Bendy tried to see if he could get a look at Boris's face, following the taller toon's line of sight to another crumpled shape in the ink.

Hoping to cut off another panic, the devil began to squirm, the sudden resistance against Boris's hold causing the wolf to gasp and quickly look down at the smaller toon. Though Boris did relax a little once it was clear that Bendy was doing this of his own free will and not because he was being yanked away under the wolf's nose, the taller toon still was a little stymied by the devil's abrupt desire to move.

"Wh-What're you-?"

"I'll take care of it. You keep watch, alright?" Bendy whispered, making sure the floor under his feet was sturdy as Boris set him down. At the wolf's still-uncomprehending stare, the devil clarified. "Just make sure nothin' sneaks up on us, okay? I'll be right here."

With Boris giving a nod to show he'd understood, Bendy turned his attention to the partially eviscerated toon corpse partially submerged in the knoll. The sight did make his stomach turn, though the devil fought to keep upright and not start shaking or showing any other sign of his distress. Just keep it together, if you start cracking, then Boris is going to have to deal with this and after that meltdown earlier _**do you really want him to?**_ _**After everything you put him through do you really think you deserve to get out of this?**_

Swallowing down the roiling feeling of dizzy nausea, Bendy quietly reached down, fumbling for a moment in the near-darkness before his hand closed over something that was propped up in the corpse's hand. The oval, metallic and slightly inky surface clinched it as one of the hearts, the devil hurriedly doing his best to stow the organ away in his pockets. Not that he'd really be able to do that if they had to get many more of these, the heart neatly filling the pocket along with the still wrapped pair of inkwells he still had. The other pocket still had a little room, but Bendy wasn't sure that it could contain another heart along with the one it already had.

The quieter planning did help Bendy to regain some control over his mind, the flip-flopping in his stomach easing a little as he turned away from the corpse to look back to Boris. However, at the sudden mental image of the mismatched toon abruptly rising from the ink after him, the devil half-stepped away from the still figure, the wolf looking to him at the sound of liquid sloshing. Once the taller toon's eyes landed on him, Bendy immediately tried to slap on a reassuring smile, hoping to draw Boris's eyes away from the corpse.

"I got it. W-We're good." The stammer nearly had Bendy's shoulders stiffen in a physical recrimination, because damn it he hadn't been trying to make the wolf worry! But even though he did try to inject some confidence into his frame, Boris didn't seem very convinced. The wolf felt around in the dark, latching onto Bendy's hand. Though the stickiness to the smaller toon's ink-coated fingers caused Boris's hand to stiffen, he didn't let go. Instead, Bendy let the taller toon lead him down the hall and to the booth he'd noticed before, not resisting an iota as Boris opened the door and ushered the devil in. At first, Bendy just sat across from Boris, given that his pockets were now full of inky horribleness that he was pretty sure the wolf wouldn't've wanted anywhere near him.

However, Boris didn't seem to want to be let alone, head turning to look in Bendy's direction as the wolf tried to properly see the smaller toon in the semi-darkness, their only source of light a flickering projector at the other end of the hall.

"Bendy?" Boris whispered, reading something from the devil's silence as he spoke up again. "'s not your fault, okay?"

"…okay." The word barely made a sound, coming out so small and hollow that Bendy ruminated that he'd have a hard time believing himself at this point. It hardly seemed to fool Boris, the wolf giving the resounding silence a beat to set in before reaching across the booth and drawing Bendy into a side-hug.

If the devil was a little more emotionally alive, he might have tried to hug the wolf back. As such, Bendy felt torn between leaning into the relative comfort the taller toon offered and shying away due to the heavy weights sitting in both pockets of his coat.

Suddenly the wolf stiffened, the movement sending a ripple of anxiety through the devil's frame as he jerked his head back to stare at where he could make out the outline of Boris's face.

"Boris, what's wrong?"

"'m fine." The wolf hurriedly answered back, though the actual explanation seemed buried under a layer of hesitation so thick Bendy could have cut it with the axe if he still had it. The toon devil cast about for something that could have caused the jolt, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary in the booth. Maybe it had been outside…?

"You sure?" Bendy asked. "We can…You can still head back t'-."

"No." Boris broke through, voice as undisputable as a brick wall, Bendy himself immediately going silent. The wolf himself seemed to realize how he had come off, hurriedly softening his tone.

"Sorry, Ben. I-I jus'…had a thought."

"W-Did'ja remember somethin'?" Bendy asked, a faint bit of hope and fear warring in his frame at the idea of possible information, because while they could certainly go up from here what if they hadn't hit the bottom? How deep they could go in this rabbit hole?

"No, the cartoon…" Boris murmured, a brief, thoughtful pause filtering through before he spoke again. "That was the dud reel, 'member? We had t'get rid of it because it wouldn' play right after a spot?"

The description did jog some of Bendy's memory. They'd been made to sit and watch pretty much all of the shorts that were made while they were around, though this one, the one with the picnic and the graveyard, was somewhat of an oddity in that it was the only time he remembered the reel having some kind of a problem. The film cut out right in the middle of the short, and despite Joey's and Norman's best efforts they weren't able to get it going again. Bendy distinctly remembered the older projectionist telling his creator that the issue was with the reel, there was no fault in the projector that he could see. While this explanation did stave off some of Joey's temper he was still in a somewhat frightening mood for the rest of the day, Henry keeping the pair in his office with him until it was time to go home.

What had even happened to the reel, come to think of it? There was a faint, foggy memory of Joey saying that he'd take care of it, but given that it was surviving down here in some form it was obvious that the studio head hadn't done anything with it. Well, apart from cut it into bits, that is. Not to mention, out of all of the shorts the pair had helped with, why was this one the one down here playing? Didn't make much sense.

And it was that lack of sense, coupled with the leering creepiness to the whole place, that had Bendy leaning a little in the direction of the door. Still, Boris wasn't about to let him simply run back out.

"We can wait a little longer."

"Let's just get what she wants, then we can go. Maybe get outta here quicker." Bendy murmured in reply, feet splatting back down into the ink as he made his way back out with Boris following close behind.

"B-But, how many d'you think we need?"

"'m not sure, we got two now though." The devil offered after a moment, feet splashing forward as he tried to slog through knee-deep ink. Well, for him, Boris had it up to his shins. The hallway forced them to take a left, Bendy glancing at the flickering image of himself walking along with a basket, the screen around focused in on the image with a black screen, a circle cut in the center so the devil could be seen.

"An', there might be another way out of here. 'Member how we saw…saw Norman upstairs?" Bendy asked, eyes cutting nervously to the wolf as he tried to gauge Boris's response to the Projectionist's true name. Even though a part of the devil didn't want to remind the wolf of the remnants of the man wandering around, coupled with that of Sammy's situation, it still felt wrong to use the monster name when they knew who the Projectionist really was. Norman Polk was, perhaps still to some degree, a person. The fact that he was now like he was didn't quite erase that.

It was a sentiment that Boris didn't disagree with, though in the shine of another projector light Bendy could see how the wolf's eyes shone for an instant at the reminder of what had happened to the people he'd known.

A sudden image flashed into Bendy's mind, of an inky head like the half-formed monsters, but with a pair of bright blue eyes peering out at him; Henry's eyes. Fighting away both the mental image, and a resulting shudder, the devil plodded forward a little faster, his feet taking him a little ahead of Boris who hurried to catch up. Head around another corner, Bendy came to another turn, this time pointing right. However, the presence of another knoll caused him to look to his left, eyes quickly landing on another crumpled shape in the ink. The lighting was still too poor to see which Butcher Gang character it was, but Bendy tried to ignore looking at anything too identifying, instead trying to see if there was a heart being held in either of the mismatched toon's hands and not let that dizzying, icy feeling have too much sway with his insides.

"Bendy…?" The whisper caused the devil to jolt, but memory kicked in nary a moment later. Still, he didn't relax, as Boris's arrival on the scene didn't necessarily mean his troubles were over.

"'sokay, pal. Just, just 'nother one. Don' think he's got-doesn't matter, let's just keep going." Bendy stammered out, hurrying along down the hallway. Boris, however, took a moment longer to get moving, eyes riveted to what he could see of the long-dead toon shoved away in the knoll. The fact that there was no obvious, gaping wounds kept the panic at bay, but the fact that it was about the right size, and dark in color, made something squirm uncomfortably in Boris's insides.

The wolf quickly looked from the pipe to the devil, and came to a decision.

"Boris?" The smaller toon murmured, turning back around as he noticed the wolf wasn't following him. "You alright back there?"

"Y-Yeah, 'm fine. Just, Bendy?"

"Uh huh?" The aforementioned devil grunted as he made his way back over to the wolf. The pipe suddenly being proffered to him caught Bendy off guard for a moment, his eyes snapping from it to the taller toon's face.

"B-Boris, I can't, y'might need it-."

"No, y'need it more, Ben. It's okay, y'can take it." Boris pressed, pushing the pipe into Bendy's hands. For a moment, the devil looked about ready to give it back, though the wolf took his hands away, crossing his arm in front of his chest. "Not takin' it back. 'Sides, 'm bigger. Y'can use the extra help."

"I can still reach your knees with this, pal." The tone was somewhat ruined by the grateful smile starting to form across Bendy's face. Something that Boris was starting to mirror even as he fired back with a quip of his own.

"Really, t'my knees! Y'must be gettin' taller Ben, last time y'said my ankles."

"Yeah, think I can get your shoulders if I jump?" Bendy's mirth at the banter was dampened somewhat when the sounds of something splashing about echoed from somewhere, the noise causing both toons to stop and peer about fearfully as though something might leap out of the shadows in the next few moments. Albeit, once those few moments had gone by with nothing, the pair leapt back to their senses, continuing on at a brisker pace down the hall.

To their surprise the space did open up to a somewhat wider room, some parts blocked in with wooden boards arranged like walls for booths. On both sides were at least four knolls, with a hallway leading on beyond. In the one nearest to the door, another projector cast an image onto the wall.

Walking past showed a flickering image of the title card for the short, 'Tombstone Picnic'. The name stirred a memory to life in Bendy's mind, not really much, but he distinctly remembered sitting and watching as his animated counterpart on the screen was backed into a corner, with the shadow of something tall and humanoid falling into view. There were whispers all around him and Boris, Bendy catching snatches of phrases like 'was that your shot?' and 'no, maybe Henry did that one', though the animator looked just as confused as the rest of them, as the picture skittered to a blinding white halt. When Bendy had asked after it, Henry had told him that no, he hadn't been the one to do that particular shot, but maybe someone else had and just didn't want to come forward given that that had been where the reel had broken.

Not that Bendy really could say he understood what that would have had to do with it but then again, considering how tense Joey had been following that whole thing the devil could understand why they might not have wanted any attention drawn to themselves. Besides, judging from the odd lumpy shapes he could see poking through the ink, illuminated by the light of the projector, it seemed as though he had to…get to work, as it were. Even though the very thought made his nerves wrench, Bendy still tried to take a steadying breath, turning to Boris.

"Boris, wait 'ere, okay?"

For an instant, the wolf looked ready to protest, before catching sight of the shapes, and noticing where Bendy was turning to go. Even though the sight hardly banished the tense lines from Boris's face and stance, he still remained quiet, giving the devil a nod.

Bendy took that as his cue to slosh as carefully as he could over to the downed corpse, immediately catching sight of an oval piece shiny with both ink and metal, partially resting on a hand just above the dark floods. The devil's hand trembled as he reached out, gingerly closing around the organ, and immediately realized a problem. He had no more room in either of his pockets, how on earth was he going to carry this, or any others they might find?

The possibility of Boris carrying it in his pockets occurred to him, but as soon as he thought of it Bendy dismissed the idea. Even if the idea of having a disembodied heart in his pocket didn't send the wolf into another panic, Bendy knew he didn't want Boris to have to deal with any of what he was currently dealing with. That still left him with his earlier problem though, and 'Alice' might be more willing to step up on getting them out if they brought her more than just two…

Casting his gaze about for a moment, Bendy's eyes lit on the scarf wound around his neck, and an idea started to form. Winding it off, the devil carefully placed the heart inside the loop of fabric, using it like a sling to carry the load at his side. Well, score at least one victory for them, even if Bendy couldn't say that it felt like much of one…

Turning back to Boris, the smaller toon couldn't help but note the faint, worried look that flashed over the wolf's face for an instant, though it lightened a little at being able to see Bendy's own expression. Passing a faint grin back, the devil decided then and there that he'd made the right decision by not having Boris help him with this one.

The rest of the room was much less illuminated, though Bendy could make out the familiar shape of a Lil' Miracle Station sitting past a divider, tucked away in the corner of its knoll. The fact that they were around was…well, something of a boon, better to be able to hide somewhere rather than outrun Norman. The guy did have a fair longer stride than him. Boris might be able to make some headway though…Even still, the devil did not want the wolf to meet with the Projectionist.

Then again, he'd felt that way about Sammy too, and look how that had turned out…

Bendy peered about as they started to walk towards a short hallway, noticing the knolls to either side and feeling something sink as he realized what probably lay in the ink inside them.

"Boris…hold on…" The devil murmured, just loud enough for the wolf to hear.

"Bendy, what's wrong?"

"I..It's okay, just keep an eye out, alright?" Was all Bendy could offer back, not giving Boris too long to puzzle out what was happening before skirting to his left, moving carefully to check for a heart on the corpse he could only just see collapsed in the ink. What he wouldn't give to have that clunker of a flashlight, at least he could've gotten this done a lot quicker…

Still, the search turned up nothing, and Bendy turned his attention to the knoll across. Boris didn't say anything as the devil sloshed through, though Bendy didn't make much effort to meet the taller toon's eyes. Not to mention that this time, the devil's luck paid off…at least somewhat. After a bit of fumbling, Bendy managed to get the newfound heart nestled in his scarf with the other, holding it close to prevent anything from falling out.

Turning back to Boris, Bendy was almost a little relieved that he couldn't quite make out the expression on the wolf's face, if only for the fact that there was a part of him that was somewhat convinced that his pal was going to…to hate him or something. It seemed like a reasonable assumption given that, really, what was he doing here that wasn't a sort-of replication of what 'Alice' did upstairs? The only difference in his case was that the toon in question was already dead.

"Bendy…y'okay?" Boris mumbled, leaning carefully down to look the devil in the face. He probably had a somewhat better vantage point given that the light was pointing in Bendy's direction.

"Sorry, 'm…" For a moment the small toon was torn. On one front, he was internally berating himself for the apology, how could he think that would even make any part of this better, how was Boris in any better a situation with him here? And, on another, he couldn't say the last word. He couldn't say he was fine, because nothing was fine, hammering in the fact that _**this whole situation wasn't fine, that nothing was going to make it fine, and it's your fault, you're the one everyone's trying to get-.**_

"Bendy." The wolf broke through the emotional miasma, crouching down to look the smaller toon in the eye. With the somewhat closer vantage point, Bendy could see Boris's expression a little better. The wolf didn't look angry, or even remotely close to the hateful, accusatory cast that Bendy's mind had painted him to have.

"I've said it b'fore, an' I'll say it again, y'don' gotta be sorry. This ain't your fault."

And, even though the words helped to ease some of the smaller toon's misery, he still had to push a little, he had to be sure. And heck, what else could he do at this point but touch on the stuff that was digging into his nerves?

"E-Even with this? Don' think 'm that great a pal anymore if I keep gettin' you int'situations like this. Guess I ain't that smart, can't…can't even figure a way out of here without needin'…her…" The admittance almost felt like a punch in the gut, Bendy's face turning downward even as he emphasized his point with a shake of his ink-stained scarf, still bundled up around their not-so-precious cargo.

"We're both kinda stuck, Ben. 's still not your fault." Boris fired back, reaching around the devil's smaller frame and drawing Bendy into a hug. "An' you're plenty smart. Y'figured out what she wanted every time, didn'tcha?"

"Yeah, but I still don't see a way outta here."

"Maybe cause there ain't one down here. Doesn't mean we won't get another chance, Bendy." Boris pointed out. "We just gotta keep an eye out for it."

"Alright, alright pal, y'got me there…" Bendy conceded, nodding against the wolf's shoulder before opening his eyes and making an observation.

"Yer tail's gettin' ink-logged…"

"I'm…very aware a'that, thanks, Ben." Boris drawled back, though Bendy felt some of the tension unwind in his center at the lighter, teasing tone to the wolf's voice. Giving the smaller frame one last squeeze, Boris stood back up, a faint smile visible on the canine muzzle. One which Bendy echoed as he turned his attention back to the maze.

"C'mon, let's hurry up an' get on with this." The statement was punctuated as Bendy turned towards the darker halls, Boris stepping up to be next to the devil as they continued on. The only rub was, even in the low light, both toons could see that the hallway forked up ahead. But with the darkness it was hard to see where either of them went.

"…Think with mazes you're always s'posed t'go t'th' left." Bendy murmured, putting his scarf-laden hand to the corresponding wall and using that to help him head forward. But before he could go too far, Bendy reached back, only proceeding when he felt Boris's longer fingers grasp his other hand. The pair continued round the corner, and laid eyes on another projected screen, this one of the toon wolf himself with what looked like the picnic basket on his head.

It could have just been the suddenness of the image, what it contained, or some combination of the two, but a laugh slipped out of Bendy's mouth at the sight, a quick glance up confirming that yes, Boris had heard that, and that while he'd been surprised at the image, the wolf found it more wearisome than funny.

"Laugh it up, Bendy. 'm pretty sure y'had some embarrasin' moments in the shorts." Despite the words, the tone was entirely too light-hearted for the devil to take it seriously. It let Bendy fall back into some of the banter he was more familiar with, even if his witticisms needed to be aired out after thirty years.

"Yeah, but I don' think anythin' I did comes close t'that level'a-."

"Bendy, shh." The taller toon abruptly said, cutting off the devil's reply. For a moment, Bendy was about to fire back with a line about how his jokes weren't that bad before the tone registered, a harsher, low rumble that signified that something was not right.

It was only then that Bendy noticed that Boris's ears were pricked up, listening to something that the devil hadn't noticed. Though in the near silence, it was much easier to hear what the wolf had picked up on; the faint sounds of ink sloshing about, being churned by what sounded like a set of feet. The noise echoed a little too much to be sure of where exactly it was coming from, but Bendy watched as Boris's head turned to look off to their right and started to pull at the wolf's hand. Though their attempts at sneaking were not as quiet as either of them liked, the ink around their ankles seeming to forbid any efforts either mustered, they did manage to get to the end of the hall, a small knoll cut in the wall with a divider blocking part of it from the rest of the hall. Reasoning that the wooden barrier might be a good spot to hide in, and perhaps there might be a booth inside, Bendy tugged on Boris's hand to get the wolf to follow after him.

Albeit, while the knoll was certainly a good place to hide, as if they stood still enough the pair could easily blend into the ink stained wall, Bendy had been entirely incorrect as to what was there. It was something that he had a minute warning to when he realized that firstly, there was no booth tucked away behind the boards, and secondly, his foot had just brushed up against something a little too soft to be a part of the wall. Swallowing, and peering down in the dark, Bendy felt something in his chest sink at the faint outline of something just a little bigger than him in the ink. A faint squeeze from Boris's hand told the devil that the wolf had noticed the corpse too, either by stumbling over it like Bendy had or by simply looking down. The taller toon did have better night vision between them, after all…

Squeezing the wolf's hand back, Bendy's eyes happened to catch sight of something somewhat oblong and faintly shining in the dark, held just a little over the level of the ink. Trying not to think too hard on what he was doing, the devil let go of Boris's hand, scooping up the object that was only a little bigger than his fist. Levying it into the sling with the other two, Bendy listened to the area around them, realizing that he couldn't hear any more noise. Albeit, his caution was being somewhat overridden by the desire to get himself and Boris out of the corner, and the wolf hardly fought with the devil hurrying him back out into the hall.

Yet, the toons were so engrossed in trying to get down the hall they missed the faint sounds of ink sloshing around behind, until the sudden light of the Projectionist landed on them. The pair only had a moment to register the glow and what it meant, before a noise roared through the hallway and made them both jump out of their skins. Completely debilitated from the echoing screech, Boris was completely unprepared to defend himself as the towering figure descended on him and wrapped one hand around his shoulder hard enough to bruise, and another hand around his throat.

The Projectionists's momentum knocked the wolf over, the only thing keeping Boris from falling into the ink was the fact that he was being held up by his neck and shoulder. Even though his air was getting cut off by the inky fingers squeezing his windpipe, Boris hesitated in striking the once-man, instead trying to push at the hulking monstrosity's shoulders and hands.

"M-Mr. Polk, pleas', 's Bor's!" But, despite the sputtered words, the Projectionist's grip didn't loosen, the slimy hand clenching over the dark fur as the wolf was shaken like a rag doll.

Bendy, who had been knocked to the side when the Projectionist had thundered forward, finally managed to flounder out of the ink, wiping the thick liquid from his face just in time to see Boris be pushed to his knees, the Projectionist looming over the wolf's crumpling form. And, even though he could only just get enough air to breathe, Boris still fought to speak to the man he'd known, trying to reach some part of the projectionist that he remembered.

"N…Norman, pleas'…"

But the wheezes could barely be heard over the screeches the Projectionist was making, Boris's vision starting to darken at the corners. At least, it was until the former Norman Polk abruptly let go, rearing back with a fresh scream of noise as his legs crumpled under his weight. The culprit of the sudden weakness was clutched in Bendy's hands, the devil only sparing a moment to view his handiwork before attempting to pull Boris to his feet.

"B-Boris! Boris, c'mon pal, we gotta go-!"

The wolf was definitely more than a little unsteady, though he was able to get to his feet, peering through the darkness at the Projectionist, who was still flopping around in the ink as he tried to get to his feet, the monster's kneecaps both more than a little banged up from the lead pipe.

Grabbing Boris's hand, Bendy pulled the wolf into a splashing amble down a hall, thanking his lucky stars when he happened to catch sight of a booth in the corner of the next room. The screeching of the Projectionist began to fade the instant they drew out of sight, but neither toon slowed in their mad dash for safety. Once the door was closed behind them the pair quieted down, listening with racing hearts to the sounds of the Projectionist as he lumbered by, the ink monster once more placid and quietly roaming the halls.

For the two toons nearly hyperventilating in the confines of the Lil' Miracle Station, calm was a little harder to achieve. Standing on the bench, Bendy watched as the outline of the Projectionist slid by, before turning to Boris. The wolf had quietly curled up as small as he could on the edge of the bench, legs pulled close to his chest and his face buried in his knees. It was also not so dark that the devil couldn't make out the fact that Boris's shoulders were shaking every moment or so, a faint, hitching note entering the wolf's breathing.

Yet it was only until he was sure the Projectionist was gone that Bendy felt safe speaking, shuffling carefully to peer down at Boris's face just in case the wolf was a little too far gone to accept a hug.

"Boris, pal, you alright?"

Immediately after it was out of his mouth, Bendy felt stupid. Of course Boris wasn't fine, Norman, or what used to be Norman, had just tried to throttle him. On top of this and Sammy, the devil could entirely understand if the taller toon needed a good cry, or wanted to stop this entirely. Boris had looked up at the sound of Bendy's voice, the devil able to see how wide the wolf's eyes were, and how tears were still running from them in rivets.

Even though a part of Bendy wanted to leave well enough alone, the devil had to concede to push further, especially with the memory of the Norman's hand wrapped around Boris's neck so fresh in his mind.

"Boris?" Bendy asked, continuing once it seemed like the wolf was listening to him. "Pal, are y'hurtin' anywhere?"

At the somewhat hesitant pause, the devil couldn't help but wonder if Boris was still not all there enough to respond, though the thought was immediately chased from his mind as the taller toon gingerly nodded, hands shakily indicating his neck and right shoulder.

"Can I see?" Was asked next, and at the more present nod, Bendy leaned into Boris's space, smaller fingers quietly feeling out the skin under the dark fur. Not that it was really any mystery as to how bad the injuries were; Bendy hardly had to touch the spots to notice the puffy bruising under the fur. And, judging from the way Boris squirmed at the contact, it certainly wasn't painless.

"B-Bendy?" Boris whispered as the devil abruptly took his hands away and started rooting around in his pockets.

"Just gettin' y'some ink, pal. We better take care'a that now, while we got the chance. We'll figure out what to do in a bit, okay?"

Though there was a part of Boris that desperately wanted to leave, run clear out of this maze of things that died like he had and once friends that thought nothing of strangling him to death, he knew that Bendy had a point. Besides, rushing haphazardly out into the open certainly wouldn't do them much good, especially without having some idea as to where Norman was. The wolf managed to rise out of his thoughts just in time for Bendy to finish fumbling with the contents of his pockets, finally coming away with an inkwell that he unwrapped from a slightly stained piece of fabric. The devil cracked the top off, handing the bottle to Boris with his best attempt at a smile in his tone.

"Here you go, pal. Take what you need, alright?"

The wolf's hand trembled slightly as it closed round the glass, carefully lifting it to his mouth and taking only a few small swallows. The taste alone made Boris shudder, reminding him too much of the inky reek that clogged his nose, the dark trails that surrounded _**Sammy's melting form**_ **,** _**the way Norman's hand had felt when it wrapped around his neck**_ …

Bendy's hand taking the inkwell away snapped Boris from his thoughts, the wolf watching a little numbly as the small glimmer of glass was rewrapped and put back in the devil's coat pocket. Seeming to notice the taller toon's gaze Bendy turned his attention back to Boris, expression falling a little before the devil tried to rally and bolster the wolf.

"Hey, I gotcha, Boris, alright? I'm here, promise, 'm not goin' anywhere."

"Okay." The taller toon rasped, Bendy unable to hide a wince at how worn Boris's voice was, also noting how gingerly the wolf settled himself on the bench. However, groggy though he was, the instant Boris noticed that his frame even while scrunched up was taking up the whole bench, he tried to shift around to give Bendy more room.

"'m sorry…"

"It's fine, Boris, I can stand fer a bit. Y'need the space."

Perhaps the wolf would have argued more, if his injuries coupled with the lethargy from the ink weren't weighing him down. Still, he had enough coherency left in him to reach around to grab at Bendy with the hand of his uninjured arm. The devil didn't seem to care, even clutching back at the wolf's fingers even as his other hand came up to ruffle the fur on Boris's head.

"Hey, hey, it's fine, don' worry, pal. 'm stayin' right here, I'll be right here when you wake up, promise."

The last thing Boris registered before blackness rose to meet him was the feeling of his face trying to pull into a grateful smile, Bendy's expression doing the same.-

-And he stumbled into a familiar, stately office, the smell of printed paper and candle wax filling his nose as the wolf quietly closed the door behind him, early morning grogginess vanishing at the sound of the knob clicking. For a moment, Boris wavered by the door, before Joey's eyes shot up to look at him, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk as he wrote on a piece of paper.

"You can sit down, Boris, I will be with you in a moment."

Quickly taking the seat, the lanky toon peered around at the shelves lining the walls, the sheer number of books boggling his mind as he tried to guess what his creator could want with them all. Joey had, more or less, absently explained to him yesterday that books were a way of telling things, holding information so that others could have it for themselves.

Well, if that was the case, Joey had a lot of information here in this one room. But that still didn't explain what use the man could have with it all.

However, Boris didn't really have much time to think on that, given that Joey finished with whatever it was he was writing and put the pen down the paper facedown to the side. Straightening, the man calmly interlocked his fingers atop the desk, considering Boris through the lenses of his glasses.

"So, Boris, how do you like Bendy? I noticed you were both having a bit of a rough start yesterday."

"No, i-…I mean, I like him, he's very nice. We went down t'th' music department an' got t'play in th' big room with th' stage!"

Though the tone of the wolf's reply never wavered in its positive note, a faint flash of something passed through Joey's face at the word 'play', the minute expression of what seemed like unease giving Boris pause too once he'd caught it.

"W-Why…did som-what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Boris, though I do want to have a talk with you, about Bendy. Particularly about when the two of you play."

"…Okay." The wolf replied cautiously, the tone not hinting at any particular upset being directed at him, though there was something in Boris's memory that made him wary, a foggy feeling of weakness in his limbs as he was dragged across a floor, a whimper answered with a sharp ' _oh quiet, I'm the one doing the work, Boris_ ' before everything greyed out.

Not to mention the conversation they'd had once the wolf had woken up, about dangerous settings and things and _I can't protect you unless you work with me, Boris, I need you to do that or I can't keep you safe_.

Joey simply gazed at Boris for a minute, either studying the toon in front of him or gauging how best to present his argument. The studio head eventually took a breath before settling down to address the issue.

"Boris, when you play, I want you to be mindful about how you play with Bendy."

"H-How I play…? Why?" The wolf echoed, head tilting as he tried to puzzle out the meaning behind the statement, and why his creator would be making it. Bendy had seemed fine when they'd last seen each other, had he accidentally done something to the devil, _what had he done wrong-?!_

"Quite simply, please be aware of the fact that you are much bigger, and stronger, than Bendy, Boris." Joey elaborated, before continuing. "I noticed that Bendy had bruises on his legs and arms this morning. It may have only taken a little bit of ink to fix, but I would like to not have to dole out ink to him regularly because you cannot control yourself."

The idea that Bendy had gotten hurt while they were playing and didn't tell him was concerning, given that the devil seemed completely fine, even helpful last night when Boris hadn't been sure where to go to bed down for the evening. Unless, he'd been pretending to be? But why, why wouldn't Bendy say anything if something the wolf was doing was harmful…

 _"'sokay, Boris, you're the new guy, so things are gonna be weird for a bit 'till y'settle in. An' it's okay, I made plenty'a mistakes too."_ The half-remembered reassurance from Bendy flitted through Boris's mind, the whirling implications his mind constructed making him feel slightly rotten. Had Bendy not said anything because Boris was new, because he didn't want to draw attention to what was an honest mistake?

Well, mistake or not, Boris certainly didn't feel any happier about making it. Especially not when it got someone hurt, who, frankly, had been nothing but kind to him, even acting as a buffer for Boris and the other members of the studio for the evening when everything was too intimidating to directly interact with.

"…I'm sorry, Joey. 'm gonna be more careful, I promise."

"I certainly hope so, Boris. Simply because you resemble a wolf does not mean that you need to act like one."

The remark caught Boris completely off guard, so much so that he had no response. He didn't…need to act like a wolf? What did acting like a wolf have to do with hurting Bendy? Unless what Joey was saying was that wolves…hurt people a lot…

Boris was put so off-kilter it took Joey a moment or two to actually get his attention, the studio head seeming to realize the impact his remark had on the young-minded wolf toon because he started to venture into a similar topic.

"Though, Boris, there is something that you could do…" At a still anxious but imploring look from the taller toon, Joey continued. "…perhaps you could look after Bendy, as I'm sure he does for you. You are, after all, bigger than he is, it would make sense to have you help and look after him when possible."

"Y-Y'think I can, Joey?"

"Do you want to?" The frank question caused Boris to pause again, completely unsure of how to answer. Albeit, Joey took pity on the poor wolf this time and elaborated. "Boris, if you want something, then by all means, pursue it. It's not a matter of whether or not you can, it's how badly you are willing to chase it."

The information made Boris's mind whirl again, this time more positively than before. He could do anything, as long as he was willing to put in the work to get it.

Though, for the moment, the wolf didn't want anything large or grand, he just wanted to keep what he had here. He wanted to keep Bendy okay, even if it was from himself. And if he could do that, then…honestly, he'd be fine with whatever else. Well, perhaps he could learn more about the instruments he'd seen being packed away in the music department. But for now, he'd stick with helping Bendy.

"So, Boris, was there anything else you needed to ask?" Joey's voice broke through the wolf's thoughts, Boris snapping to attention at the question.

"…No, Joey. I'm fine. I-I'll keep an eye on Bendy though, an' I'll be very careful with 'im, I promise!"

But, contrary to Boris's own faith, his creator simply looked at him for a moment, seemingly unimpressed with the wolf's declaration. Though, just as Boris started to falter again, the studio head spoke up.

"Boris, I admire your conviction, but if you want me to believe you then you have to show, not just tell me, that you are serious. Promises mean nothing without action behind them."

Oh. It made sense, but the wolf couldn't help but feel like his nerves were being wrung out with all of this back and forth. Still, it looked like Joey was satisfied with the conversation, glancing down at the papers on his desk.

"That'll be all, Boris. You can go, just remember what we talked about."

"…Alright, Joey." Boris all but whispered, getting up from his chair and heading for the door, the scene shifting as he did into a familiar, well-loved room with musical sheets tacked up on one wall and drawings on another. Three cots were set up in the corners, two somewhat messily made ones closer together and a prim, neatly made one on the other side of a dresser. Sitting on the lone cot was Alice, the angel looking up from a book she was reading as Boris entered the room.

"Good evening, Boris!" Alice greeted, as proper as could be, though once she'd put the book down the angel practically raced to the wolf, coming just short of where Boris had stopped though the taller toon had already anticipated what the angel toon had wanted, holding open his arms so Alice could wrap her arms around his torso in a hug.

"Hey, Al. Did everythin' go well t'day?"

"…I-I think it did. Honestly, I'm not sure sometimes the way Sammy talks…"

But Boris was already shaking his head at the old worry, opening his mouth to verbally chase it away nary a moment later.

"Naw, Alice, trust me, if y'were doin' real bad, Sammy woulda said somethin'. Y'shoulda heard us when I was learnin' t'read."

"Were you that bad?" Alice asked, giving the wolf one last, grateful hug before letting go and walking with Boris back to the other end of the room. At the query, the taller toon couldn't help a somewhat embarrassed grimace from spreading across his muzzle, mind easily recalling those tumultuous first days when Sammy had taken on the wolf's schooling, after-.

Shaking his head, Boris elected to simply focus on what Alice was asking, rather than dwell.

"Th' worst. I still have trouble puttin' the longer words t'gether, but Sammy didn' let me give up, or give up on me. No matter how many times I messed stuff up, neither. Trust me, if Sammy's tellin' y'stuff about your performance, it's cause he…he cares enough t'help y'improve. He said it better than 'm sayin' it, maybe we can ask him t'explain it."

But Alice shook her head, a quiet but no less bright smile forming as she replied.

"No, it's fine. You explained it pretty well."

The pair settled down on their respective cots, Boris sinking heavily onto his as the strain of the day caught up with him. Catching onto the exhaustion, Alice couldn't help but speak up.

"…Are you alright, Boris? Where did Sammy have you working, by the way? I hardly saw you at all today."

"Jus' movin' boxes 'n things. Though Sammy's been gettin' stretched thin again, 'cause we got a new song to finish up an' some'a th' band members…" Boris trailed off, unsure as to whether or not he should finish the thought. He didn't want to make the angel worry but judging from her expression the wolf had already said too much.

"What about the band members? Did…Did something happen?"

"Well, no, nothin' happened, jus'…some'a 'em aren' comin' back." The taller toon replied, letting his gaze drift downward as he busied himself with pulling his shoes off and setting them down on the floor next to the cot.

"…Who's not coming back?" Alice asked, hesitation and curiosity warring in the angel's voice.

"Ah, Greg, an' Frankie. An' Larry." Boris reported, the names of the three violinists rolling heavily off his tongue. He'd known them for about a few months, and while they'd initially been a little wary of the wolf, they'd warmed to him in time. Still, what they ended up not warming to was the workload and the haphazard work environment, from what Sammy had told him, which lead to them quitting.

"Oh…" The angel quietly replied, the wolf realizing that this was her first brush with someone leaving the studio. A few of the animators had walked out the day Alice was introduced to the staff, but given that she'd hardly known them it was hardly a blow. Boris…was somewhat more well-versed, and he knew that the conditions of the studio tended to upset folks.

Didn't mean that them leaving was all that great either, but the wolf certainly didn't want anyone to be where they weren't happy. Especially in cases where an injury was involved.

A knock sounded at the door, Boris pushing himself up and padding his way over before Alice could get up. Even before he opened the door, the wolf already had some idea of who it could be, given that it was past dinnertime and the majority of the animators, musicians, and other staff had gone home for the night. In fact, the only person who would probably be coming here, unless someone had gotten lost again, was-.

"Bendy?" Boris blurted out, eyes widening at the sight of the devil laid out in someone's arms. That 'someone' turned out to be Joey Drew himself, face strangely blank as he somewhat awkwardly handed the prone toon devil over to Boris, who had unthinkingly reached out for his friend. From what the wolf could see Bendy was completely insensate, limply dropping into his arms. Automatically Boris tried to press a hand to the devil's forehead, noticing with a new flare of worry that the smaller toon's temperature was a bit higher than it ought to have been. It was also then that the wolf picked up on an odd smell hanging in the air around the pair, mixing in with the smell of ink which dotted the studio head's sleeves and speckled Bendy's face and front. Something sharp, metallic, like nothing he'd ever smelled before…

"He's fine, Boris, he just got into something he wasn't supposed to. He may need ink when he wakes up but just keep him in here for now." The instructions said, Joey pushed past Boris to step into the room, forcing the wolf to shuffle away to avoid his feet getting stepped on.

"W-What's wrong with-? What happened?" Boris stumbled as he pinwheeled between trying to keep a careful hold on Bendy, staying out of Joey's way, gaining whatever information he could from his creator about Bendy's condition, and trying to catch a glimpse of the devil's face under a proper light. Quickly crossing the room, Boris carefully sat down on his cot with Bendy in his arms, the new perspective under a nearby lamp revealing the somewhat ashy features of the smaller toon's pale face, Bendy's expression pinched as though he were under some sort of unseen strain.

But Joey simply sighed, and reiterated.

"If you were listening, Boris, you would have heard me say that Bendy had gotten into something that didn't agree with him. I've already given him some ink but he may need more later." Though, for the most part, the studio head seemed to have completely moved on from the devil's current condition, instead choosing to rifle through the drawers of the dresser. What it was he was looking for became apparent a moment later when he turned to Alice.

"Alice, would you be a dear and get some inkwells from one of the offices? About three should do it." The angel had been peering closely at Bendy's face, though the sound of Joey's voice caused her to snap her gaze to her creator, only hesitating a moment before nodding and hurrying out into the hall. Though once she was gone, Boris took his hand away to get a closer look at Bendy and noticed that the flushed appearance to the devil's face wasn't the usual grey like when they got sick. In the light of the lamp, it looked faintly purple.

The observation did freeze the wolf's hands for a minute, but Boris still did his best to clean up the devil's face and front with a stray corner of a blanket. The sound of clacking drew the taller toon to the fact that Joey was hobbling back out the door, leaving both the wolf and Bendy alone.

"J-Joey?" The stammered call caused the studio head to still, and the way the man gripped his cane made Boris wonder if he was making a mistake. Still, his mouth worked before his brain could tell it to shut up. "Wh-Are you alright?"

The question seemed to catch Joey off-guard for an instant, before the man seemed to recollect himself and reply.

"…I'm fine, Boris, just look after Bendy. Also…" The man gave a heavy sigh, turning back around to face the wolf. For a beat Joey simply stared at the pair, one prone and the other growing confused and increasingly worried, before he spoke again. "…Boris, if Bendy wakes up and starts, babbling, don't worry about it or question him, you'll only make him more upset. Just give him some ink and let him lie down until this works out of his system, alright?"

"Okay, Joey." Boris's answer was more than a little tinged with concern, not that Joey seemed in the mood to address it. Hobbled down by his leg, and what seemed like a thick curtain of exhaustion, the wolf's creator limped his way down the hall, presumably back to his office, leaving the door open in his wake. Not that Boris really had any mind to get up and close it, instead focusing on the devil toon still cradled in his arms.

Bendy was still unconscious, the dark widow's peak still furrowed as though the small toon was worrying over something even while asleep. Remembering something that Henry had done when he and Bendy had gotten sick from spoiled food, Boris quietly rubbed his thumb over the devil's brow, smoothing it back into a calm arch. At the touch, Bendy's face relaxed before scrunching up, the light contact jerking the devil to wakefulness. Well, not quite wakefulness, Bendy's eyes still looked unfocused when they opened, peering about at everything from the room to Boris's face and not really seeming to register any of it. After a second, Bendy's expression morphed from bleary and confused to fearful and darting, line of sight zipping all around the room as his limbs twitched in a somewhat uncoordinated attempt to move.

"'s still watchin', th'-th' walls 'r swimmin' roun'…" Bendy slurred out, the words worrying Boris before he remembered what Joey said.

"Ben, Bendy, 's alright, you're okay-."

"Boris, is he awake?" Alice asked as she came back through the door, though the angel wasn't alone. Following right behind her was Henry, the animator close to resembling a raccoon from exhaustion but worry keeping him awake enough to peer around the doorway, relaxing a little at the sight of Bendy awake in Boris's arms.

The presence of the two did bring some calm to the wolf, as, well, Joey might be busy, but Alice had come with ink, so they could do as their creator had said, and, well, Henry was Henry, and the animator had a way of making things better.

What Boris didn't expect, though, was for Bendy to tense up in his arms, the devil going stiff as a board at the sight of Henry. The animator too had paused, expression turning unsure at whatever he could see in Bendy's face.

"Bendy…?" Henry asked, voice calm, cautious, but with a faint undercurrent of worry to it which had Boris feeling a little nervous himself. So much so that he spoke up.

"Ben, 'sokay, buddy. It's just Henry." The wolf quietly reached up and rested a hand on Bendy's head, about to start kneading around the smaller toon's horns in the manner that he knew would calm the devil down, but just as the Boris's fingers made contact Bendy jerked with a gasp, head spinning around as he tried to see where the touch had come from. The sudden reaction made Boris tense up too, immediately drawing his hand away. Though at the sight of the frightened, if still very groggy expression on Bendy's face the wolf forced himself to relax, focus shifting entirely to Bendy to calm the devil down. Carefully he changed positions to prop Bendy up against his chest, rubbing circles into the smaller toon's back.

"'s okay, Bendy. 'm right here, nothin's happenin'. You're okay."

"B…Boris?" Even if the devil's voice was slurring with tiredness, the fact that he had enough of his wits about him to remember the wolf's name at all was heartening enough to Boris, who smiled faintly as he continued hugging the smaller toon close. Hearing Henry come around to the side of the cot with Alice in tow, Boris glanced up at them just in time to see the angel hold up an inkwell, a questioning look on her face. Giving a thankful smile of his own Boris reached for the glass jar, keeping a careful hold on Bendy with his other arm.

"Hey, Ben, got some ink fer you, might help y'feel better."

The declaration did get the devil to focus some, though it was a long few moments before Bendy actually nodded, shakily reaching for the inkwell. Already spotting a problem between the fact that Boris's hands were mostly occupied and Bendy's general unsteadiness, Henry quickly reached over to crack the top off the little glass, the motion making the devil jolt and Boris stiffen up in kind.

But before the wolf could think of anything to say to calm down the smaller toon, Bendy's hand cautiously reached out for the inkwell. Henry seemed to think better of directly handing it to the still-shaky toon, instead keeping the small, gloved hand steady with one of his own while Bendy drank. Though Bendy allowed Henry to help him, the devil's frazzled, paranoid stare didn't quite go away.

"H-Henry…?" Bendy spoke, voice a little ragged to Boris's ears.

"Yes, Bendy?"

"W-Were you, was…" The devil almost seemed to lose track of what he was saying mid-thought, blinking hard before continuing to talk. "…W-Were you, goin' away, you weren' leavin', right?"

"N-No, Bendy. I'm not leaving or going away." The man replied after a moment, a little caught off-guard by the question. Almost as though to give some physical grounding to the reassurance, Henry reached over to knead around the devil's horns, the motion causing the small frame to quietly relax inch by inch as Bendy's eyes took longer and longer blinks.

"Yeah…shoulda figured…wasn', wasn' rea-." The devil slurred, sentence cutting off with a large yawn that seemed to snap whatever threads that anchored the small toon to the waking world. Before Boris knew it, soft snores were drifting up from the devil tucked against him, a sense of calm settling back into the room.

Still, with the wolf's own exhaustion from before starting to seep back in, it wasn't long before Boris's own eyelids started to drift closed. At first, he jolted himself back awake, something that Henry noticed straight away.

"It's alright, Boris, I'll stay up and keep an eye on Bendy, you get some sleep."

"Y-Y'sure, Henry?" The taller toon forced out through a yawn, able to recall even with a foggy head how tired Henry had looked when he'd first come in.

"I'm sure. Alice, you should be getting to bed too."

The angel didn't fight the animator on the topic, instead simply putting her halo on her side of the dresser and settling down under a blanket. Henry grabbed a chair in the interim and made sure she was well and truly bedded down for the night. Boris eased himself back into his cot, letting Bendy use his chest as a pillow and watching with bleary eyes as Henry came back around to sit. Still, there was one thing that the wolf had to do before surrendering to slumber himself.

"G'night, Alice." Boris said into the quiet, not needing to wait long to hear the angel's warm reply.

"Good night, Boris. Sleep well."

And, then the pair hit an odd pause, as this would usually be where Bendy would either wish them both goodnight or make some sort of mock-gripe about the pair making too much noise. Still, even though the devil was already out like a light, Boris felt that at least they should keep up the routine. However, in the hush following the pair wishing the devil a good night, a shared, somewhat mischievous thought went through the two, prompting them to both chime with a quiet but no less enthusiastic 'G'night Henry!'.

"Good night, you two. Go to sleep." The animator replied, mock-sternness warring with amusement in his voice as Boris finally slipped off into slumber.

Suddenly, however, the wolf wasn't lying back on a comfortable, well-loved cot. Instead he was partially cramped into someplace that reeked of rotten wood and ink, faint twinges running through his muscles as they tried to deal with the shortage of space.

Boris's eyes cracked open, slowly at first, though the fact that Bendy was gripping his arm tightly made him rise to wakefulness with as much quickness as he could muster, questions already starting to form in his mind.

"Ben? Wassama-?"

A hand suddenly reaching up to clamp over the wolf's snout made him cut off entirely, awareness fully snapping to life at the gesture and what it could mean. It was then that the taller toon's ears picked up a sound, just low enough to almost fit into the ambiance of dripping ink and far-off projectors clicking away nearby. It was a sort of wet, slithering noise, like two soaked things sliding together. As the pair listened, it passed right-to-left in front of the booth, heading off into the hallway beyond before fading out entirely. Still, Bendy waited a few minutes before turning around to address Boris, squinting a little in the semi-darkness as he tried to study the wolf's face.

"How're you feelin' pal?"

"…Fine." Boris replied a slight rasp clearing from his voice as he spoke. Though the wear in the wolf's tone made Bendy wince, the devil quickly pulled his face into a grin.

"Alright, but I think we wanna hurry up and get outta here. Gettin' a lil' too noisy."

Boris was about ready to agree with the devil when an odd sound caught his ear, a faint creak of aged hinges. Over the devil's head, Boris caught sight of a widening slit of inky black appearing at the door, the slab of wood making only the smallest of squeaks as something pulled it open. Before he could even think to call Bendy's name, something gave the back of the smaller toon's jacket a yank, quickly pulling the devil from sight with nary enough time for Bendy to gasp, nevermind cry out.

"BENDY!" Boris shouted, immediately flying out of the booth, just in time to see the hint of a dark shape disappear round a corner. Taking off after it, the wolf flew through hallway after hallway and around corner after corner, only just missing his quarry as it always seemed to be a hallway ahead of him. Even still, he could hear Bendy, doing everything from shouting the wolf's name to screaming insults at whatever had grabbed him, probably to make noise and let Boris know where he was.

Still, it would only be helpful if he was able to catch them…! The sudden loss of volume to the cries made Boris dash through the ink faster, shouting as he did.

"BENDY, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"BORIS!" The devil hollered back, voice pitching in fright. "HELP ME!"

Putting on one last spurt of speed, the wolf turned another corner and came back out into the alcove in the big room, feet stilling at the sight in front of him. The dark shape was a giant figure of ink, its frame almost too tall to have been fitting in the mazelike hallways. However, its limbs seemed nearly modular, whipping and moving about in ways that they should not have been able to. And the current focus of the monster was Bendy, the devil pinned by his wrists to the front of the statue, one of the creature's long, whiplike arms wrapped around the smaller toon and his larger, frozen-smiling counterpart.

Fear had flooded Bendy's features, though his vision still caught onto the flicker of motion that the wolf's arrival had bought, and immediately snapped to look at the taller toon.

"Boris, BORIS, WATCH OUT-!"

Before he'd even had time to be bemused at the fact that Bendy was worrying about him in this situation, Boris felt something slam into him from behind, sending him face first into the ink. Floundering to his feet, the wolf sputtered and coughed, insides twisting at the sudden, acrid, and overwhelming taste in his mouth, far greater than he would ever get from an inkwell. Just as Boris managed to get himself at least up over the ink, something grabbed at the straps of his overalls, flinging him onto his back a few feet away. Hurriedly scrubbing at his eyes, Boris cleared the grime and finally beheld what had knocked him over, the sight quickly causing ice to settle in his stomach.

For though the frame standing nary a few feet away was covered from head to toe in ink, the height was about right, and the face was clear enough that a pair of familiar dark eyes could be seen staring out from the dark floods. Perhaps, if the wolf cared to look closer, he'd see the faint hint of a familiar, grandiose-fueled smile only just hidden by the ink.

Still, the eyes were more than enough for some memory to click, Boris's throat suddenly very dry as he tried to speak.

"J-Joey…?"

 _"I told you…"_ Came a faint, gurgling whisper, almost in reply. _"I told you I would never let you die, Boris…"_

And suddenly it was moving, almost hurtling towards him at a speed that Boris would have not thought possible for something of its stature, frame jerking eerily about as it came at him. Through some instinct Boris threw himself to the side, avoiding the charge and nearly getting another reeking, gloopy face-full. Trying to keep his trembling limbs from fumbling too much, the wolf pushed himself to his feet, just in time to be grabbed round the arm, the other inky hand reaching for the taller toon's torso in a way that was too much, too familiar, with _**those eyes and that voice**_ -.

The wolf gave a sobbing cry, twisting away from the hand reaching for him though he couldn't break the other's grip. A flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye snapped his gaze to the being holding Bendy to the statue, the longer prehensile limbs spiraling about and churning up the ink around the tall framed monster. Still, the devil hadn't seemed to notice, wide eyes watching the struggle between Boris and his respective creature.

"BORIS!" Bendy shrieked, though the wolf's eyes had focused on the way one of the long whip-like appendages of the thing had changed, looking a bit sharper and more rigid than it had a moment ago. The instant Boris registered the shift, the long, needle point rushed down, ramming straight through the ragged coat and impaling Bendy at the center of his chest.

Everything seemed to grow quiet, even the shifting of the ink around them was muted. Boris could only stare as the expression on Bendy's face changed from fear, to shock, and began to loosen, eyes rolling back as the lids started to close. The large figure started to vanish, the ink composing it dripping away into the slurry covering the floor. Albeit without that to hold him up, Bendy dropped to the floor, landing face down in the ink. And he wasn't moving.

Finally managing to throw the amalgamate away, Boris charged towards the prone devil, unable to keep from whimpering as he yanked the smaller form out of the dark floods. Doing his best to cradle the toon devil in an arm, the wolf shakily tried to clear some of the black slime away from Bendy's face, freezing as he realized that ink was seeping from under the bedraggled jacket and scarf.

"B-Bendy?" Boris whispered, voice creaking with raw shock as he took in the devil's slack, unconscious features, a hand shakily coming up to tap at the side of the small pale face. "Bendy, please, wake up, th-this isn' funny…"

A newfound wetness against his fingers alerted Boris to the fact that there was a new, rapidly-expanding stain on the front of Bendy's jacket, the cloth growing dark with the volume of ink leaking from the wounds. Immediately the wolf reached for Bendy's scarf, desperate for something, anything, to help stem the flow. But his hands were shaking so badly that all he was able to do was wad up the fabric and press it down on the wound. Still, even with the efforts, Bendy didn't move, wasn't _**waking up, why wasn't he waking up-?**_

Boris had just been about to call the smaller toon's name again, when the sounds of squelching caused his attention to snap to the amalgamate, who had stumbled to its feet and was turning in their direction. Trying to maintain his hold both on Bendy and to the scarf Boris scooted backwards, only remembering what was behind him when his back hit the base of the enormous Bendy statue.

However, instead of coming close, the amalgamate started to drip away into the ink under their feet, everything from the lanky frame to those horribly familiar eyes and leering grin running away into nothing.

The tension running through Boris's frame suddenly snapped with a visible jolt when a hand abruptly landed on his arm, the familiar feel and size nearly making the wolf start crying again with a mix of relief and worry. That is, until he looked down and locked eyes with Bendy.

The devil's eyes were entirely overtaken by black, though unlike the inky floods in the cavernous room, the darkness swirling about in Bendy's eyes were spinning with pinpricks of light.

"B-Bendy?" Boris found himself mumbling, even as a part of him couldn't look away from those eyes, could barely move until he realized that Bendy had, gotten up and pinned the wolf's left arm against the statue, quickly doing the same with his right. And, unlike any other time that they'd play-wrestled or rough-housed, Boris found he couldn't break the devil's grip.

Boris looked forward, staring at Bendy who was now standing in front of him, the devil's head lifting to meet the wolf's eyes. However, the instant the smaller toon's mouth opened, ink started to spill over his teeth and lips in a black river. At the same instant a spasm ran through the smaller frame, Bendy's hands convulsively squeezing his arms to the point where the devil's grip hurt. However, even though he couldn't help a pained yelp at the sudden pressure, Boris's heart leapt in his throat at the sight of Bendy vomiting what seemed like his own ink and the creaks and pops that started to rattle through the devil's frame. And with every one Bendy shook and jerked as though he were being struck, the wolf's worry and terror only compounded by the fact that it wasn't simply just noise, Bendy was changing.

The devil's frame was growing taller, limbs and body stretching to accommodate a longer stature. Boris could feel claws start to poke through the fingers of Bendy's gloves, the hands stretching out until the digits were longer than the wolf's own. Ink had also started to cascade down from Bendy's head as the dark horns grew longer and more curved at the ends, though the devil's eyes never closed or broke their stare at Boris. They were almost too wide, downright unreadable, the rest of Bendy's face almost frozen in calm blankness.

Was it even still Bendy? The thought made the bottom drop out of Boris's stomach, compounded by the sight of the devil's face pulling into a grin that was all wrong, too wide and not fitting at all with the still expressionless, dark, hypnotic eyes. Boris blinked hard, causing tears to spill over his eyelids and down his face. However, things were no better when he opened his eyes, the mere act of looking away causing the scene to shift. Now, instead of being a thick layer of liquid on the floor, the ink was more like a swirling whirlpool, forming a black vortex around the pair. Though that was hardly the end of the change. From the inky whirlwind shapes flashed by, vague suggestions of heads, reaching hands, perhaps a more detailed image of a face stretched in agony.

However, Boris's eyes were drawn by a flicker of motion at his and Bendy's feet, a hand and barest hint of a face forcing themselves through the gelatinous ink. What made the wolf stare was the fact that the shape of the nose, the longish fingers, it all looked just a little too familiar.

"S-Sammy…?"

The exact content of the reply was marred by the ink, but the voice is a dead match to Boris's ears. The mere garble of sound seemed to trigger something in the surrounding vortex, more voices joining the sounds of gurgling, swirling ink.

 _"…lord, lord please…"_

 _"…help…"_

 _"Where are they?!"_

 _"Free, please, set us free…"_

 _"Oh god, help me…"_

 _"Make it stop…"_

 _"-an anyone hear me?!"_

 _"Please, someone…"_

 _"Help me!"_

The wolf almost wanted to cover his ears, do anything to make the cacophony go away but he could hear familiar voices and tones mixed into the deluge, coming and going too quickly for him to even think of forming words to call out to them. It hammered in now even more than ever that everything, everyone, Boris had known was gone, everything he'd ever known had been changed and warped and _**gone bad, it had all gone so bad-.**_

Boris was abruptly shaken out of his terror by a long, clawed hand landing on his head, steering him to rest his chin on an inky shoulder. Despite the sharp points, the fingers carded carefully through the fur atop his scalp, the gesture so painfully familiar the wolf couldn't help the name that spilled from his mouth.

"…B…Bendy?"

For a moment, there was no answer, though the moans from all around had quieted enough that Boris heard the rumble of sound that seemed to reverberate through his bones.

" _You_ _ **need to hurry**_ _, you_ _ **don't have much time**_."

The words, despite the odd, rumbling tone mixing in with the devil's voice, caused something to loosen, the ink and open room swimming away as Boris half-fell, half-floated through space.

Right before he jerked back to wakefulness in a cramped, ink-reeking booth. For a moment the wolf was completely disorientated, limbs flailing about to thunk into the wooden walls. His lungs were working overtime, trying to draw oxygen from the fume-laden air, and feeling like the Miracle Station itself was far too small.

"Boris! Boris, stop, it's okay!" The hissed, familiar-toned exclamation made the wolf pause, though as he peered through the semi-darkness to his right his heart leapt in his throat as he caught sight of Bendy pressed back against the door, the wood itself parted just a slit with a field of black sitting beyond. The horribly recognizable image made Boris freeze, before reaching out as his jaw unclenched enough for him to speak.

"B-Bendy, look out for-don' st-stand there, its gonna-!"

Luckily Bendy didn't need much prompting before launching himself forward into Boris's arms, the wolf enclosing the smaller frame in a protective hug. Still, once a moment passed with no noise, no sign of anything coming through the door to get them, Bendy relaxed, confusedly staring up at Boris in the dark. Not that the wolf himself was able to offer much of an explanation, frame shaking like it was stuck in a localized earth tremor.

"Boris…?" The sound of his name did seem to get the taller toon to remember that the devil was present, Bendy just able to make out the way the wolf's head tilted down to look at him. Heart sinking a little as the shaking turned to more rhythmic, hitched sobs, Bendy reached up to clumsily pat at the wolf's head, trying to offer what comfort he could even though his left arm was somewhat pinned in between Boris and himself.

"It's okay, pal. I'm right here. It was jus' a bad dream, okay? I didn' go nowhere."

But the wolf was shaking his head, even though the overwhelming emotional surge had left him vocally lacking. Boris's mouth worked for a moment, trying to explain something about what was going on in his head before simply giving up and opting to cower even more, head partially resting on Bendy's. Managing to get his left arm free, the smaller toon quietly wrapped the lanky frame in a hug, stuck between wanting to offer more verbal encouragement, and listening on the off-chance that Norman was still patrolling outside. Because, well, after that, Bendy could easily say that they were throwing in the towel on this, enough hearts or not.

Boris had been through enough.

That thought in mind, after the wolf's sobs had quieted down, Bendy finally spoke.

"'s okay, Boris, it's alright. We're done, we're gettin' outta here."

"B-Bu'…what, what 'bout-?"

"She's just gotta deal. We're done. 'm puttin' my foot down. Not very imposin', I know, but it's the meanin' of th' thing." The last quip got a somewhat belated, watery smile, the sight further strengthening Bendy's resolve.

Getting out of the booth took a little longer than either anticipated, as with the encounter with Norman still fresh in both their minds made them wary. Still, neither wanted to stay in the maze, scurrying as quickly as possible for the next room. Boris was more than eager to leave, the presence of a door leading back out into the larger room a balm to the two toons. Though the calm mood really lasted only a second before the wolf caught sight of the towering Bendy statue and nearly picked the flesh and ink counterpart up in his arms with how fast he'd tried to hurry away. Not that the devil himself would complain, given that he wasn't fond of the things either, but the sudden fear did provoke enough curiosity for him to whisper a question once they got back to the catwalk leading up to the elevator and were heading up the last flight of stairs.

"Boris, you alright?"

Definitely not the most tactful, the smaller toon ruminated, but he wasn't sure how else to broach the topic. Still, the wolf was spared from answering when the intercom crackled from the lift, 'Alice's' voice easily carrying down to the pair.

 _ **"Tell me, were they still writhing in your hands? Bring them to me now! I don't like to wait."**_

Bendy was pretty sure he came close to biting his own tongue off when it came to holding in the diatribe that threatened to surface. Angry hollers about how if the angel wasn't satisfied then maybe she oughta try coming down to get the hearts herself stayed locked in the devil's vocal chords, even as his hands clenched angrily around the pipe and ink-logged bundle he'd made out of his scarf, and Boris's hand. He really only realized how angry he was getting when Boris gently squeezed back, quietly reaching over to press the call button for the elevator. Once the cage slid open, neither wasted any time in getting back aboard, pressing the button for Level 9. The sooner they got there, the sooner they could get rid of their god-awful cargo.

Still, the actual elevator ride was a relative cakewalk compared to the actual act of getting rid of the hearts. Boris had nearly not wanted to stay behind on the other side of the bridge once the pair had gotten up to Level 9, though Bendy forced the wolf to compromise by waiting right on the other end of the canal for him as he trundled up the stairs and to the chute. Only then did the devil realized how much of an ordeal this was going to be as he lowered his bundled scarf to the floor.

Looking at its contents in the light now made Bendy almost want to throw up again, his stomach flip-flopping threateningly as he shakily unpacked the three hearts from his scarf. However, he didn't dare give any sign of his stress away, not with Boris watching from just across the bridge. Instead, the devil loaded the metallic, inky organs into the chute one by one, trying not to look at them too long and taking deep breaths of air. It seemed to take an eternity, but long last, all were gone, leaving him to empty out the two in his pockets. In his haste to get the hearts out, the devil ended up draping his scarf over his shoulders out of habit, leaving him wincing and unable to fully suppress a shudder at the feeling of cold ink dripping into his coat.

By the end, Bendy was feeling more than a little off-kilter, the feeling of ink sticking to his gloves and on the inside of his scarf and pocket making him feel like his insides were squirming all about his frame in an effort to be rid of the disgusted horror they were being forced to endure. Distantly, as the last one tumbled out of sight, he registered the crackling of the intercom, and only just managed to work up enough presence of mind to rise above the dizzy, sick mire than had gripped his mind.

He just needed to breathe, just breathe and listen, he could do that much, at least…

 _ **"It seems like we've reached the end of my to-do list, my little errand boy. I hope you've enjoyed our time together. I'll always treasure it. Return to the lift. It's time to go home."**_

The words took a few seconds to register and immediately, Bendy's first thoughts were suspicion mixed in with relief. It was done, they were going, no more getting things or doing anything that upped their chances of dying, but…really? So easily?

Not that he was going to complain much about the chance to get as far away from the warped angel as he could, because well after all that some distance really was the best thing for everyone. Bendy's feet stumbled and shook as they plodded down the stairs, the devil nearly shambling to the end of the bridge and right to Boris, who quickly knelt with a worried grimace as he took in the smaller toon's ill pallor and shaky steps.

"'s okay." Bendy whispered once he was sure Boris was close enough to hear him. "Jus' get me on th' lift, please."

He didn't complain or squirm as Boris simply plucked him off the ground, the wolf holding the smaller toon close to his chest like one would a beloved stuffed toy. Instead Bendy just buried his face into Boris's shoulder, trying not to think about eviscerated toons, _his best buddy with his ribs gleaming as the reek of ink and burning fur pervaded the air, Alice lying with blank eyes in a pool of ink, a half-formed monster staring at him with Henry's eyes_ -no, he wasn't going to give it an iota of thought, no matter how much it threatened to unseat his sense of dizzy stupor. Instead, he tried to focus on the feeling of familiar fur against the side of his face, a heartbeat gently pounding under a raised line of scar tissue, and the manner in which the taller toons arms wrapped firmly around the devil's smaller frame. It was almost exactly like he'd remember, on late nights when he'd been working with the animators or busy doing something for Joey, how Boris would simply end up carrying him to bed because he and Bendy both knew that the devil was done for the night, even if Bendy himself hadn't wanted to admit it.

It was safe, quite simply speaking, and after thirty years with all of the changes and recent horror, Bendy would take it.

It might have been all he had, but it was his, and the devil would fight for it. It was better, and infinitely more preferable, than decades filled with nothing but hunger, survival, and loneliness.

A faint creaking drew Bendy out of the distant calm, and he turned his face away from Boris's shoulder to take a look around. The wolf had walked onto the lift, the metal doors of the cage closing around them and the gears of the lift grinding with age as the elevator began to head up. The change coupled with the sound made some of the mire from his head clear, and though part of him wanted to pretend things were fine for a bit longer, Bendy motioned for Boris to put him down. Though a look of worry came from the wolf, he gently lowered the smaller toon to the elevator floor, entirely willing to let Bendy lean against him while the devil got his bearings.

However, as they ascended past Level K, the sound of the warped angel's voice filtering in through the speakers overhead made both grow tense again.

 _ **"Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like? I like to dream that it's quite beautiful."**_

The tone was almost whimsical, barely a hint of a threat in it anywhere, but the fact that it was coming at all coupled with the content had Bendy's hackles raised. The devil reached up to grab onto Boris's hand, the wolf's fingers quickly squeezing back in tense anxiety. Looking over, Bendy momentarily glanced to the manner in which Boris's head was slightly back with his eyes staring up at the ceiling, ears folded against his skull.

" _ **A soft valley of green grass, blanketed by a warm sun. I don't think I'll ever get to see it."**_ The tone of 'Alice's voice had not edged away from the whimsy, the warped angel sounding more like she had when she had been telling her little story a while ago, when she'd mentioned Joey's name. Still, while there had been some sort of sympathetic trembling to Bendy's insides, the tension still kept building in his muscles. However, letting in some form of rationality in alerted him to the fact that if there was a problem, he and Boris would have had nowhere to escape to. The lift was still rising, the stops had long since passed them by. Now only metallic walls ringed them on all sides, effectively trapping the pair in the elevator. Hopefully, she'd just say creepy stuff, and leave it at that…

" _ **Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boy? The heavens are waiting."**_

Alright, still creepy but fine as long as it stayed that way. Albeit, the wording was giving Bendy an uneasy sense of premonition, causing the devil to glance up at Boris again. The wolf looked no less unnerved than he had a moment ago, though this time the taller toon seemed to feel Bendy's gaze, looking down and flashing the devil a look torn between a flickering attempt at a smile, and worry. Mostly worry.

However, before Bendy could address it, 'Alice's voice filtered back in over the speakers. This time though, instead of creepy soliloquies or comments, there was just a momentary hint of sobbing, before giggling laughter began to ring in the confined little space.

As she laughed, the lights overhead began to flicker, Bendy and Boris looking around and pressing closer together, fear curdling their ink as they tried to glean what comfort they could from the other's presence, and try to figure out what was coming next.

Suddenly the floor under them halted, and a bit from Mr. Connor's most recent audio log replayed through Bendy's mind.

 _'Someone's sure to end up falling to their death.'_

"Oh no." The devil mouthed, pure panic lacing its way through his insides just as the lift jerked, and dropped. Over the pair's screams, 'Alice' continued through the intercom, voice rising in an incensed pitch.

 _ **"Did you really think I'd let you steal from me?! Do you really think I'd just let you go?! No, Bendy! I know who you are! And I know why you're here! And you will not stop what needs to be done!"**_

"I jus' wanted t'leave-!" Bendy hollered, his frightened plea cut off as 'Alice' continued to yell.

" _ **Now come down and bring me back my Boris!"**_ It took a moment for the exact content of the shout to register, though the mention of Boris's name dropped Bendy into a new level of shock. Numbly, he looked up into the wolf's face, Boris's terrified expression growing tenfold as the words and their meaning sunk in. The toons' eyes flicked back to the outside of the elevator as stop after stop flew by, the pair plummeting even further into the bowels of the studio. And, all the while, the warped angel continued to scream through the intercom, somehow managing to rise above the din.

" _ **It's the most perfect Boris I've ever seen, and I want it! I need it. I need its insides so that I can be beautiful again!"**_ The howl reverbed in time with the screech of the elevator, Bendy involuntarily passing Boris another look. Though this time he saw white streaks where there should have been black, and crossed-out eyes where there had once been pie-cut pupils. Shaking the image away— _she can't take Boris, she can't have him she can't she can't_ -, Bendy raced to the button panel. But none of the stops would work, not to mention the fact that the metal was heating up from grinding against the sides of the shaft, sparks flying everywhere from the outside. Boris's hands soon joined his, though the wolf was forced to pull the devil away when the friction made the panel too hot to safely touch.

" _ **Don't you understand? Don't you get it?! Give him to me!"**_ 'Alice' continued to scream, Bendy only just now registering the shakes that ran through Boris's arms, which were still wrapped around him. The closer proximity also allowed the devil to more readily hear the shuddering gasps that the wolf was making, fighting with his own fear in order to simply breathe.

"Boris…!" The cry came almost too late, the wolf already stumbling back as the floor jerked and vibrated underneath them, putting them in the far corner though heat kept them away from touching the metal frame of the elevator. Instead Boris crashed to his knees, eyes squeezing shut as his ears tucked down, practically folding over Bendy as he was completely overwhelmed by both the situation at hand and something that the devil couldn't see. Bendy had no idea what to do. There was literally nothing that he could do. They were falling, in the elevator, and probably going to die. He had failed.

Though, despite the despair sinking into his ink, weighing in heavily with the fear, Bendy still latched desperately onto his pal, some relief flooding in when Boris hugged him tightly back.

" _ **Or better yet, I'll take him!"**_ 'Alice' screamed over the intercom, Bendy simply tried to ignore it. She was nuts, she'd basically just killed them both, he couldn't do anything to stop it, he couldn't do anything-!

But the presence of the taller toon, still shaking like a leaf around him did ground the devil some, enough that Bendy managed to change his grip on Boris so that the wolf's head was pushed into the shoulder of his jacket, exactly how it had been when they'd first entered 'Alice's grisly horror show. The devil didn't trust his voice to stay steady, heck, he barely trusted it to be audible, but he hoped the sentiment at least got through.

He was here, Boris wasn't on his own, and 'Alice' was going to have a hell of a time getting her twisted hands on the wolf if Bendy had anything to say about it. Well, she would if they survived this…

Speaking of, there was one last holler echoing through the intercom, Bendy tuning it just enough that he caught the words.

" _ **Once…you're…DEAD!"**_

The screech of protesting metal gave way to an almighty crash, the last thing Bendy registering was being knocked away from Boris before he hit something hard, causing everything to go black.

"B-Bendy?" A faint nudge at the devil's shoulder caused him to rouse with a snort, behorned head blearily bobbing to wakefulness. For a moment, Bendy was confused and more than a little worried about the presence of the tall, wolf toon sitting to the right of him. It was only after he'd jumped and fallen over that he remembered what had happened that morning; the closet, Henry finding him, Joey's office, and meeting-.

"Bendy, a-are you alright? 'm sorry, I didn' mean t'scare you." Boris fretted, the wolf's hands hovering in the air as he was entirely unsure of how to proceed.

Geez, he almost couldn't be mad at the canid toon. It would just make him feel bad. Instead Bendy slapped on a more genial smile, if not a bit tinged with sheepishness at his somewhat over-the-top reaction.

"Don' worry about it. 'm fine. Just startlin' myself over nothin'."

The quip-like nature of the remark did tease a chuckle from the wolf, though with the ensuing silence, the faint sound of voices on the other side of the door became more and more pronounced. It was too muted for Bendy to make out what was being said, but there was the occasional rising in tone that the devil wasn't sure he liked hearing. Still, Bendy was hardly sure on how to deal with it, whether that be by talking over it so as not to hear or remaining quiet to get some hint of what might come through the studio head's office door. Luckily no one had been through the hallway yet…-

-At first, Bendy wasn't going to listen, but when he recognized the voice, and heard his name mentioned, he couldn't help but stop. That was Joey, but who was his creator talking to? It didn't sound like there was anyone else in there.

"Things will need to progress much faster. Henry and Sammy have been asking questions that you know I cannot answer without giving too much away, and the longer Bendy and the others are allowed near people, the more likely my plans will be compromised. Not to mention how often I find Norman creeping about the studio. Who knows what that old coot's managed to figure out…"

But, Bendy couldn't hear anyone responding to Joey. Perhaps, at the edge of his hearing, was a faint rumble, but given his years of being raised with the ink machine rumbling in the background the devil hardly thought of the noise as noteworthy.

"If you do want to be free, then you will do as I say." Joey replied to no one, voice harder and colder than Bendy had ever heard it. Still, the words made him reel a little. What was happening? Who was Joey keeping trapped? What did that have to do with him and the others? The tone was also unsettling Bendy, the way the man was speaking just seemed aggressive, wrong. Whatever Joey was planning, the devil wasn't sure he wanted any part of it.-

The two toons jumped when the door opened, not enough to slam but forcibly enough that Bendy could say without a doubt that he was thankful that they hadn't been sitting on the other side of the doorway.

The first out of the room was Joey, clomping out with his cane thunking a tense pattern on the floor, face like thunder as he seemed to take in the hall around him before looking to his right, down at the frozen pair. Before their creator could say anything, Henry quickly darted up to stand behind Joey, forcing words through lungs that hadn't quite gotten their necessary allotment of air.

"Joey, look, just let me handle it next time, alright?"

"I will take it under advisement, Henry." The studio head replied shortly, though a lot of the venom seemed to have been sapped out of his voice. Instead Joey turned his attention to the toons, though with his next words he still addressed the animator. "There's something I have to see to, do you want to perhaps keep them in your office for a bit? Shouldn't be more than a couple hours at the most."

Bendy tried not to read into the flash of relief that passed over Henry's face before the animator agreed, the pair hurriedly ushered down the hall-

-The corridor was dark, even foreboding after everyone had gone. Though this was opportune for Bendy, the dead silence sent chills racing up and down his spine, causing his tail to tuck close to his legs with the occasional tense flick. Part of him didn't want to be here, part of him wanted to go back to his room with Alice and Boris.

But he didn't, despite his worries, keeping his course to the office. Joey had already gone up to bed for the night, even though the toons were still awake. It was only when Bendy got there that he realized a problem with his plan, that he had neglected to think of how he would get the door to Joey's office unlocked. For an instant Bendy could have thunked his horned head into the wooden door in sheer frustration, before he took a breath and simply reached out for the doorknob. Despite a faint shake running through his fingers, he still managed to close them around the cool metal, giving it a twist and being utterly surprised when he heard the mechanisms click, the door creaking open.

For a moment, Bendy hesitated before going in, possibilities springing to mind when he considered what he might find. He hadn't heard any voices answering Joey during that sort-of conversation he'd overheard, but his creator had been speaking with someone. Had Bendy not heard anything because they were speaking too quietly for him to hear over the ink machine, or because they weren't able to speak at all?

The image of confronting something with no visible mouth and unblinking, eerily glowing eyes briefly flickered through the devil's mind, making him swallow and stiffen.

However, even with fear thrashing like a frightened animal in Bendy's mind, the desire to know what his creator was hiding, coupled with the harsh, shadowy words that had come from Joey's own mouth, pushed him over the threshold of the office, pushing the door partially closed behind him.-

At first, Bendy thought that Henry might have tried to take him and Boris to his own little office, which the devil figured might be a little cramped but from what he remembered his notebook was there, maybe he could show Boris while Henry was working.

But, when the animator kept heading down the stairs, the smaller toon was confused enough to try speaking up.

"Uh, Henry, where're we goin'?"

The question made the man start, expression murked with exhaustion as he turned back to look at Bendy.

"S-Sorry, Bendy, I wasn't…what was your question?"

For a beat the devil almost didn't want to repeat himself, more than a little off-put by Henry's demeanor even as the man tried to hide it. Still, he knew he'd likely look more than a little strange simply sitting on the question when he'd already said it. Not to mention Boris was watching from the sidelines, looking between Bendy and Henry with a similar, tense expression as the wolf seemed to be trying to deduce if there was indeed about to be a problem between the two.

"…Where're we goin'? Your office is on this floor, right?" Henry's confusion cleared notably at the clarification, though the faint flash of discomfort that went through the animator's features did not quite ease the nerves that were starting to squirm in Bendy's stomach.

"Yeah, though, I wanted to show Boris where the music department was. I thought he might like it. I'm sorry, I should have asked if you both wanted to go. Is this alright with you, Bendy, Boris?"

"Sure, Henry, I don' mind." Bendy spoke up, though Boris took an extra moment to answer.

"…Y-Yeah, sure, I don' mind." Initially, the devil might have found it a little strange that the wolf was copying him verbally, though the fidgeting that the taller frame was undergoing as Boris seemed to wrestle with some thought chased the observation from his mind and caught Henry's attention as well.

"Everything alright, Boris?"

Bendy frowned at the manner in which the taller toon's frame jumped a little at the question before shrinking in on itself a little, eyes staring at the ground as the long, dark ears folded back against Boris's head as his tail tucked close to the backs of his legs.

"Uhm, I-I jus'…'m sorry, I…I jus' wanted t'ask somethin'…"

"Well, I'll do my best to answer it." Henry lightly joked, a faint smile quirking the wolf's muzzle as Bendy gave a humored snort. "It's alright, Boris. You're allowed to ask questions."

"Oh, okay." The wolf replied, hesitation still heavy in his tone but with a definite note of courage present, just enough that he didn't stall too much before getting to the meat of what was on his mind. "What's a music department?"

"Where they make music." Bendy jumped in before Henry could answer, the animator closing his mouth for a beat at the interruption before letting out a snort of laughter.

"Yes, it's where they make music."

"But what's music?" Boris's question did cause both Bendy and Henry to stall, the former because he honestly wasn't even sure how to explain the concept of music, though Henry hardly seemed to have any reply for an instant, Bendy's eyes catching a faint flicker of melancholy surprise passing over the animator's face. However, it passed so quickly Bendy was nearly certain he'd imagined it.

"Music is…" Henry started, though he seemed to lack the proper means to explain the term. The animator visibly fumbled for a beat before seeming to come to a decision, a quiet smile gracing his features as he spoke. "It's…hard to explain. It would probably be a lot easier to show you, Boris."-

-The office was dark, nearly impossible to see into despite Bendy's best efforts. Even though part of him didn't want to go in, wanted to turn tail and hurry back to his, Boris's, and Alice's room, he knew that he'd come too far to run away. His creator was hiding something, something that made the devil's insides twist a little when he remembered what he could of what he had overheard.

Cannot answer without giving too much away…the more likely my plans will be compromised…

The more Bendy thought about it, the more he had a fair amount of unsettling questions circling round in his brain, with no one to get answers from. Henry was on the outside it seemed, as were his fellow toons. He was the only one that had some inkling of what might be happening. He should try to do something, find something to bring forward.

All he had was what Joey had said, which the studio head could easily beat down with words which would not convince Henry that something was wrong. Besides, if this was time-sensitive sort of thing, Bendy might not be able to wait for Henry to come in in the morning. He'd already stalled enough during the day trying to figure out what to do.

Even though the layout of the office was as familiar to Bendy as the back of his hand, he couldn't help but watch his step, feeling out every part of the floor as he inched around. There was only a faint bit of light shining from under the curtains behind the chair, concealing the windows that Joey seemed to like obscured more often than not. It was something Bendy hadn't understood, still didn't, but he wanted to keep his physical contact with anything and everything to a minimum. Not to mention, the memory of what had happened when Boris had accidentally messed with the studio head's books was starting to run through his mind again.

Still, while Joey had always been very strict about the toons not touching his books and the candles, he'd never mentioned much regarding the other objects in the room. Like the closet. And, as Bendy knew from experience, it was certainly big enough to hide a person. Probably at least three people if space wasn't a concern.

But the only thing the little devil was greeted with was a closet cluttered with boxes stuffed to the top with what looked like papers, the light too weak for him to really make out much else. The devil could also see the taller lines of what looked like a wheelchair shoved off into the corner, he remembered that from the time when Joey locked him in the closet following that prank. Still, there was nothing in there, no secrets, certainly nothing alive.

Come to think of it, maybe Joey had been talking on the phone, that would neatly explain why the devil hadn't heard anyone answering the studio head back. The thought sapped some of the tension from Bendy's stance, tiredness rushing in instead as his mind started to spin. Still, even if his creator had been speaking to someone over the phone, the language Joey had used was more than a little unnerving. His mind kept coming back to those words, hinting at secrecy and some sort of unseen trouble for anyone who tried to pull back the veil too soon.

Not to mention, that implicit threat in the latter half of what Joey had said; _If you want to be free, you'll do as I say_. And Joey had mentioned that it was going to compromise his plans to have the toons interacting with people, would that mean that they might be put in the same situation, or perhaps taking this mysterious person's place?

No, no, Bendy thought as he shook his head, trying to calm his thoughts down before he started to drip. Thinking like that wasn't going to help. He needed proof, he needed answers.

He needed to keep searching through what he could of Joey's office. Something noteworthy had to be in here somewhere. He just needed to either find it.

Cautiously the devil pushed the closet closed, wincing at even the smallest click the mechanisms made. Keeping his steps light, he padded around to the side of Joey's desk, trying to look over what he could of the stately, solid wood in the poor lighting.

The devil hesitated at touching the drawers, though his eyes managed to pick out a small, flattish shape tucked out of sight just under the border of the desk, only a few shades darker than the wooden floor it was resting on. It was only when Bendy drew it out from its hiding spot that he realized what he was holding, feeling a slight thrill of anxiety running through his ink at the sight; a dark-covered book.-

-The band seemed to be working on a song when the trio came down into the music department, the sounds of the instruments almost reverberating through the thin walls of the studio. A quick glance up showed Bendy that Boris's ears had perked up, eyes riveting down the hall where the melodies were coming from. However, though Bendy was not a regular to the music department, he knew that the actual band room was on the same floor as the one they were currently on, which is why when Henry's path took them to a set of stairs leading up the devil was a little confused. Once he and Boris had followed the animator up the staircase though, the plan in mind became a little clearer.

Henry had taken them up to the projector booth overlooking the musicians, and they had a perfect view of the band as they played. Bendy glanced up at Boris, noticing the wide, wondering eyes and careful attentiveness in the wolf's face. The taller toon leaned down a little, gloved hands gripping the edge of the booth as he tried to listen to every instrument and get as good a look at them as he could. To Bendy's ears, the music was like a living thing, bouncing and vibrant, making his feet tap at the wooden floor. It was almost inaudible over the symphony, though Henry peered down at the sudden movement from the smaller toon, a faint smile playing over his face to mirror the joyful grin starting to form over Bendy's as his shoes tapped in time with the beat.

Boris only looked away when he noticed that Henry was no longer watching the band, the wolf's head turning to see the devil hopping about to the rhythm of the music. The glee was somewhat infectious, a smile quirking the taller toon's face as he watched Bendy move about in an approximation of the jitterbug. Yet the moment was altogether too short-lived, the bliss interrupted by an oncoming clunking noise of someone coming up the staircase, the music dying down in the room below.

"Hen-?" Norman asked, stopping short at the sight of the two toons, particularly the towering figure of Boris, who were occupying his projector booth. Noticing the shock, Henry quickly jumped in to try to mollify the older man, just as a voice drifted up from the recording studio below.

"We're all ready down here, Norman, just-!" But whatever it was that Norman was supposed to do no one would know, as that voice fell silent too, along with the rest of the chatter in the cavernous room below. It didn't take Bendy long to figure out why, as while he was too short to be seen over the divider Boris was standing pretty much at the edge, and tall enough that he was perfectly visible. And, judging from how the wolf had turned, body language immediately shrinking in on himself as he took in the now completely quiet band in the studio below, he noticed too.

"Boris…?" Bendy murmured, voice astonishingly loud in the yawning quiet of the room. The slight noise seemed to break some sort of spell in the room, the devil hearing a few voices fire off with exclamations and disbelief alike. Boris leapt back from the edge of the booth, all but dashing behind Henry and Bendy to press himself to the far corner, as far away from Norman and everyone in the room downstairs as he could go. Henry quickly changed tact, quietly telling the projectionist that he would explain but he needed a moment before turning to go to Boris, Bendy hanging in the background and more than a little taken off guard by what was happening.

The wolf had huddled down in the corner as small as he could make himself, overall-covered knees drawn close to his chest as his ears pinned back. Still, he looked up as Henry came to kneel in front of him, appearing to listen to the animator's words.

"Boris, it's alright-."

But whatever Henry was going to round off with Bendy didn't quite hear, as someone called to the room at large in a tone that overrode the softer, more soothing timbre.

"Everyone, we're taking a break! Make sure you have your pieces memorized and we'll pick it up again in thirty!"

Bendy had a vague memory of the voice, but the clattering of people getting up and things moving around down in the studio chased the exact identity of the speaker out of his mind. By the time the noise cleared, though, Boris was looking a little steadier, getting back to his feet even though his shoulders were still a tense line.

Though as the clatter died down another round of footsteps came up the stairs, their tread light though the cause was on par with Boris and Norman in terms of height. Bendy's nonexistent nose nearly wrinkled at the slightly overwhelming smell of smoke coming from the man, whose long, dark hair partially hung in his face as he surveyed the scene. Despite some heavy shadows around his eyes, the newcomer looked no less intently at every single person present, Boris squirming a little and trying to edge behind Henry. Feeling a little indignant on the taller toon's behalf, Bendy moved to stand in front of the wolf, turning a hard look of his own up at the intensely-staring man. It did appear to take some of the edge off, the stranger's look softening a little as his eyes turned from the pair of toons to the animator standing next to them.

"Sammy, look, I…" Henry started, the sudden burst of speech causing both toons to look between the man at their side and the one still partly standing on the stairs. Norman, Bendy realized, had moved off to the side and was quietly watching the whole exchange from where he stood. "…I know I should have warned you, and I'd be happy to explain what I know of the situation, I just need a moment to get…"

The sudden trailing off got Bendy to glance up at Henry, noticing how the animator's eyes cut over to him and Boris before turning back to Sammy. Whatever meaning that had been implied with the look seemed to transfer over to the other man, the music director, Bendy remembered, with no trouble. Giving a quiet, somewhat drained sigh, Sammy replied.

"Alright. Given that downstairs is pretty empty at this point they can wait down there while we talk."

"I still have that reel of 'Sheep Songs' sittin' over there, Mr. Lawrence." Norman spoke up, causing everyone to jump. "They can watch that, if'n they like."

The name of the reel did stir something in Bendy's memory, mostly being that that was the cartoon that Boris himself had starred in, at least, the toon's animated counterpart had. It seemed like just the right thing for the wolf, so the devil tried to make eye contact with Henry when the man glanced over at him and Boris again, giving a grin and a nod.

"Alright, that's fine." Henry replied. "Just let me walk them downstairs, Sammy, and I'll be right back up."

"Sure thing." Sammy's answer was calm, even casual, though as Henry ushered the toons downstairs, the music director had one more thing to add. "Far be it from me to keep you from your kids, Henry."

The resulting, borderline annoyed sigh from Henry was echoed by a shadowy chuckle from Norman, Bendy looking back just in time to see a mock-innocent, joking half-smile flit over Sammy's face.-

-His hands turned the book over, trying to see if there was anything identifying about it that might explain why it had been tucked out of sight. Partially Bendy still had a very strong sense of 'WRONG' blaring in the back of his mind, though he figured that if he'd already dislodged the volume from where Joey had hidden it then the least he could do was figure out as much as he could. It took the devil a moment of fumbling before he remembered that the room was mostly dark, and despite his best efforts he certainly could not read with no light.

Shaking his head, Bendy turned to place the book in the thin ray of light coming from under the curtain behind the desk, straining to read the title in the soft glow. However, after a moment of squinting and even turning the book upside down just to be sure he had it the right way, he was forced to conclude that whatever the words were they were written in some language that he hadn't been taught how to read. He knew a little about other languages, Louie had spoken some Italian while he'd worked at the studio, and there were a gaggle of animators that had spoken some other stuff. Still, while he'd heard these other languages used, the devil had never been taught how to read them. Certainly not enough to recognize this.

The fact stymied Bendy, though after a beat of frustration the small toon concluded that should at least try to take a look at the book's contents; maybe there would be something, some sort of clue, that could be gathered from any pictures that it might have.

With barely any fanfare, Bendy flipped the book open, peering at what he could see. There was text seemingly scribbled on the first few pages, the look to it causing the devil to wonder if Joey had perhaps made this himself.

Well, if his creator was the one to make this, then perhaps he really did have something to hide if he was writing it in some completely different language. Not that it really helped Bendy much in knowing what that thing to hide was. The thought did occur to him to take the book and show it to Henry, but there was a twofold reason as to why that caused the devil's stomach to churn uncomfortably. One is that this proved that there was something to hide, but not what that was, and two, Joey might count this as one of the books that was off-limits. No, scratch that, Bendy knew Joey would likely count this as off-limits, that's why it was hidden.

It left him in a bind, honestly. How was he supposed to move forward from here?

A little desperately now the smaller toon flipped at the pages, trying to find something that wasn't the same cryptic squiggles. Maybe a picture, numbers, something in English? Catching sight of a blob of something that decidedly wasn't a paragraph of text Bendy stopped, letting the book fall open to the page he had seen.

On one side was more text, but on the other was a big, dark, blob of a drawing that took the devil a few moments to piece together in the low light. It looked like something tall and thin standing upright in a nearly black space, the entire body a few shades darker than the surrounding area. Yet as Bendy stared, something began to change about the image. Tiny pinpricks of white started to appear in the black, the dots swirling about over the page. The devil blinked hard, straightening as he rubbed at his eyes. Surely he had to be seeing things, pictures in books did not suddenly change of their own accord. Albeit, when he opened his eyes to look down at the book again, Bendy got another shock.

The whole picture was now moving, the black background and white dots spinning across the page in a strange sort of dance. He couldn't even see the figure that the picture had been depicting anymore, the devil trying to pick up the book to see if maybe the shift might get it to stop. He had to be overtired, the worrying had crackled his brain, he wasn't actually seeing-.

The feeling of something burning cold and slick traveling up his hands made Bendy start, though he quickly found that he could not move an inch. He couldn't put the book down, could barely blink or turn his head. But he could still see the manner in which the ink from the page traveled over the white of his gloves, and he could feel how it crawled up his arms and to his shoulders. The only thing more terrifying was the manner in which he could see the darkness and shadows start to swim out of the corner of his eye, a faint rumbling and chittering growing audible in his ears.

A terrified whimper managed to escape the small toon's throat as the crawling, freezing ink jumped from his neckless body to his head, soon coming to encase his whole cranium as the office began to fall away around him. Though he was unable to speak Bendy's mind screamed, crying out for someone, anyone, _Henry Boris Alice Joey_ _ **HELP ME PLEASE**_ -

-The devil tried not to pass too many looks up at the booth. Over the clicking of the projector running he could just hear the quiet hum of voices, and could barely pick out who was speaking. Sammy was a little louder, as was Norman, Henry was barely audible. Bendy wasn't sure if Boris could hear what was being said, but the wolf kept his eyes riveted forward as the screen lit up with the title card. Albeit, Bendy wouldn't be surprised if the wolf was looking at it just for something to focus on. While the big studio room was empty, a fair amount of the band was milling about in the front room, and Henry's path had taken him and the monochrome pair through the small crowd. The conversations had died down to a hush, Boris not making eye contact with anyone as he visibly shrank behind Henry. The animator didn't say anything, but kept a hand on the wolf's shoulder as they went through, even taking a moment to ask Boris if he was alright once they'd gotten into the studio. Bendy, for his part, had come around to walk on Henry's other side, throwing a hard look at everyone who was staring. Which was pretty much all of the band, and in looking back on it the devil realized that his attempt at intimidating them back probably didn't work as well as he would have liked given his diminutive height.

Well, not that it mattered much, given that it was long past, and Henry had closed the door to the studio to keep out any prying eyes. Not to mention that Henry was right up in the booth and while Sammy wasn't someone Bendy was overly familiar with, he did remember bits and pieces of what he'd heard regarding the music director, mostly about his temper and mostly from Wally. If anybody could keep the band in line, it would be him.

It wasn't as though there was much they could do otherwise, so Bendy let himself get lost in the cartoon about to play on the big screen. Not all of what Bendy had seen cartoon-wise was funny, but he'd liked the 'Sheep Songs' short, and it had a lot of great music so hopefully Boris would like it too. He'd certainly been spellbound at all the great melodies earlier.

Bendy glanced at the taller toon as the first few animation frames of the short started to play, watching the confusion that had taken ahold of Boris's face at the sight of both the wolf and the devil moving about on the screen. Most of the conflict in this episode came with Boris trying to manage the sheep and Bendy, at least in the devil's opinion, trying to well-meaningly help the wolf with his job.

"Why's…?" The wolf toon whispered, staring up at his animated counterpart on the screen. It didn't take Bendy long to guess what Boris was so confused about; this had tripped him up the first time he'd seen a short too.

"Yeah, that, that's us. We're cartoons. That's why we look so different from everyone else. We're…" The devil wasn't sure how to finish the thought, so he let it hang. When he and Joey had had that conversation, the sort of implication had been that the devil should not exist. His creator had managed to paint the living toon as an achievement, though not one that people would recognize as such which was why Bendy had spent the first week or so of his life shut in the studio head's office. Right before…well, there was a very good reason he shied away from touching his creator's books now.

Still, he didn't want to get into all that with Boris right now, not after the morning the wolf had just had, so Bendy simply sat in silence with the taller toon, the pair watching as the cartoon shenanigans played out on the screen.

Well, while Boris definitely had bits of his old anxiety clinging to his demeanor, he had caught the odd, trailing quiet at the end of Bendy's speech.

"We're…what?"

The devil jumped a little at the question, though in retrospect the fact that Boris might need to have the meaning of what a cartoon was explained to him should have been obvious, given that the wolf had needed some explanation of music.

"Well, a cartoon is, it's that, basically. We're kinda…I-I mean people watch us, t'laugh an' stuff. They like these kinda things, these, uh, shorts, Henry calls 'em."

"They've seen this?" Boris asked, turning his head back to the screen with pie-cut eyes fixing to his animated double. "An'…they liked me? They weren' scared?"

"Yeah, yeah, Boris," Bendy responded, putting all of the heartfelt, bracing confidence he could into the words. "They liked y'a lot. They loved the music in y'made in th' episode!"

"…D'ya really think I can…make music like that?" The wolf asked, deep, rumbling tones hushed as he stared at all the screen. Flickering against the white, his animated counterpart continued to play on the clarinet, the melody soft and lulling as the sheep began to bed down. However, Bendy watched none of this, his eyes turning to Boris as his brow furrowed, sensing the uncertainty and not quite so sure where it was coming from, or how to address it. The wolf had to be a natural with music, because that was how he'd been made. Same went for Bendy when it came to dancing, though the devil had to admit that when he'd first started, he hadn't initially felt...

…Oh.

"Hey, I know y'can, Boris. Y'got the stuff t'do it, an' it's not like it's th' doin' that's got y'nervous. Jus' don' think about anyone else, think 'bout what you want t'do."

Pushing himself up on the chair so he could look the wolf in the eye, Bendy studied what he could of the canid face in the dark. The eyes were liquid and large, looking far too uncertain considering the fact that the toon in question towered over the devil.

"An' hey, from the way you lit up when y'heard the music, I'd say you're already on your way t'makin' some great stuff yourself. Alright? So no gettin' bent outta shape b'fore y'even done anythin'." And, partially running on the feeling of the moment, Bendy leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the wolf's shoulders in a hug.

For an instant, Boris froze completely, before the lanky frame relaxed and quietly wrapped a long pair of arms around the smaller toon's body, nearly lifting Bendy away from his seat. Still, the devil hardly minded, not when he could feel the sheer gratitude and relief in the motion, coupled with the fact that the wolf's tail was wagging against the back of the chair.

Suddenly, Boris stiffened, head turning to look at something in the balcony. A faint clatter was becoming audible to Bendy's own ears, though from the looks of things at least Norman was up there. Maybe Henry and Sammy were coming back down?

However, just as quickly as they noticed the change Bendy found his eyes were being drawn to the second booth, where he'd thought he'd seen someone tall standing the in the shadows, entirely still. Though the devil had no way of knowing for sure, he thought they might have been watching him and Boris rather than what was on the screen. He could almost make out a faint outline of someone up there now, though the darkness was…not quite thick, there were **bits of light, shining** -

-Shining in darkness, the pinpricks glow like distant, uncaring stars as they drifted about. But somehow, despite how far away everything was, the devil couldn't help but feel an enormous, overpowering presence, all focused on him.

"J-Joey?" The devil tried to call, voice nearly choking at how small and insignificant he sounded, like he had somehow become the last being alive in the whole world. It was only then that Bendy realized he could move again, which was great, given that the last thing he remembered-.

He stiffened at the memory, of burning cold and paralyzing suffocation, and shadows whipping and flickering about out of the corner of his eyes. What had happened, what was that what even was all that?!

And, for that matter, how did he get here?

The possibility of passing out did occur to Bendy, but he didn't remember getting dizzy or hitting the floor. He could have fainted from fright though; he wasn't sure if that made a person dizzy before it happened. He didn't remember getting up, either. It was like he'd just somehow come into this place on his feet.

Wherever here was, which certainly didn't look like the studio. All the walls and long winding hallways were missing. Everything was gone. It was just a big, expanse of space, a plane of darkness that stretched out as far as the eye could see. This, this couldn't be right though, he had just been in the studio, he couldn't be outside. Bendy might have only been outside, or seen it through a window, at least once or twice in his life, but he did know that there were landmarks, things out there like buildings and trees. Turning around, and peering down at the small splooshing noises his feet made against the apparently wet ground, Bendy continued to call out.

"Joey, Henry? Boris? Al-?" The last name cut off as a shape came into view behind him, a big, somewhat distant rise on the horizon. The only thing Bendy had seen before in his life that could compare were the few glimpses he'd gotten out of Joey's office window, of a mountain that stood tall near the studio.

Was, was this the same mountain? It didn't look quite like it, the ridges were in different places, but Bendy hadn't exactly seen much by way of enormous geography.

Then the 'mountain' started to move, and Bendy felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.

He couldn't make out very much about this thing, everything was so dark and mired, but he could see the distinct shape of what might have been a head and perhaps, long, lanky arms with the palms pressed to the floor on either side. At first, he could just make out two, before another set unfolded to push against the floor with the first pair.

The glow pinpricks were all over the surface of the, the thing, either blinking or glowing steadily, though somehow Bendy knew that they were eyes, and they were focused on him. That feeling had come back, the one that felt like he was being put on the spot by something far, far removed from his own perspective. Bendy had been told about the dynamic between predator and prey animals, partly from the vantage point of the stories Joey would have Boris and him read, and this, if anything, felt like a real, personal brush with the concept. It was too big, and he was too small, it could hurt him, it felt like it was going to hurt him, if not kill him.

 **RUN AWAY.** The thought emblazoned itself on his mind. Just run, get out, you aren't safe here. But, even though everything in Bendy wanted to head for the hills, he couldn't break his gaze with the being, pie-cut eyes still caught by the baleful, distant gaze of the thing that stared back at him. Even though the entire frame was enormous, challenging the dark expanse around them, Bendy's entire focus was drawn the eyes. Those pale, glowing eyes in its head that spun with lights both bright and dim, causing a humming to reverberate through the devil's frame. His mind turning to a slow stagnancy as he stared, growing more and more bespelled as the lights gently whirled around. Until he felt something nudge at his leg.

Bendy dazedly glanced down, only to see malformed, shapes of things on the wet floor. He only realized that they were alive when one pawed at him again. They almost looked like creatures, made of slime. Leaping away, and falling to land on his backside, he realized that the 'slime' was in fact ink, and the creatures were hardly the only change. The devil's own body had been altered, the once-small frame now uncomfortably stretched, his limbs aching from the rapid growth spurt. Shakily, Bendy reached for his face, feeling claws scratch at his cheeks as his hands trembled. His mouth was pulled into a leering, fixed smile, his jaw clenching so tightly that it hurt and forcing tears from his eyes.

The humming was suddenly back, Bendy's head craning to see the…the thing, the not-mountain, as it leaned over him, its massive head resting just above his body.

For a moment, it simply hung there, before a split appeared in the dark form, Bendy recognizing it as a mouth just before he noticed the black slurry spilling out, rushing down as one mass set to smother him.

Just before the flood came down, Bendy thought, for one instant, that he could hear the faint snatches of a slow, soft song-

-Forcing the devil up with a gasp, his arms ( _normal_ , thank everything) hurling the book away as the dark slog dripped off. But even as he let go the small toon was already fighting to get to his feet, stumbling to and out the door with the frantic pulse of run **run RUN** in his ears, the shadows of the room blurring at the edges of his vision as the darkness grew speckled with flickers of distant light, something just barely whispering at the limits of his hearing, **Bendy Bendy B-**

"-en, Bendy!"

As the devil rose up to conscious thought, he realized that his head hurt, and it felt like he'd bitten his tongue coupled with a soreness focused on his back. At first, this was worrying, but it was hardly the first time he'd woken up after he'd holed away somewhere following an escapade gone wrong. Then everything came rushing back in, the elevator, 'Alice' screaming about needing Boris's…insides, the crash-.

With a gasping cough Bendy forced his eyes open to see Boris crouched over him, relief spreading over the wolf's face as the devil stared up to meet his gaze.

"Bendy! A-Are you okay?"

"Sure." The devil grunted, though he still felt very unwilling to try moving. Even still, his limbs flopped about in an attempt to push himself up off whatever he was lying on with minimal success. Boris reached around the smaller toon's frame, gently easing Bendy off of what felt like something hard and bumpy. Despite the fact that the wolf was obviously trying his best to be careful, Bendy accidentally let a grunt slide out of his throat as the shifting jostled his aching frame. Miraculously, his fingers were still closed around the pipe, the devil dragging it with him as he moved.

"Sorry! Sorry…" Boris whined, and though his fingers twitched he still didn't let Bendy go. The devil didn't dare make another iota of noise, no matter how much his battered body hurt, as the taller toon tried to lay him out on the flatter floor.

"Boris, w-we gotta move, she's gonna-."

"Bendy, you're-."

The frantic whispering stopped dead away at the sound of heeled shoes clacking against wood. Boris's head moved like lightning, snapping to look behind him before immediately hurrying to gather Bendy up to his front and flip around so they faced their tormentor. The rapidfire movement brought a few more shocks of pain to Bendy's system, though the devil was somewhat pleased by the fact that he didn't give any sign apart from a strained gasp. Though the pain caused him a brief moment of dizzy nausea, he didn't pass out, instead everything fading into murky grey around him for an instant as the devil fought it with everything he had. He couldn't pass out, she was here, she was going to take Boris, Bendy needed to stay awake, he needed to protect his pal, he couldn't let Boris down again. Despite the tension coursing through the wolf's frame from 'Alice's approach, Boris still seemed to notice the sudden limpness of the smaller toon, a hand immediately shifting his head around to face upward and patting with light franticness at his cheek.

"Bendy…" The devil wanted to do something then and there, the terrified, pleading tone to the wolf's voice nearly coaxing some sort of attempted sign that he was not in fact unconscious, until 'Alice' started to speak.

 _ **"Hmm, I suppose a fall from that height would likely do some damage, but seeing as he's not yet melted away, I'll be taking back another prize tonight. I wouldn't mind seeing what makes the lil' devil himself tick."**_

Boris's arms tightened around him, Bendy fighting to keep his facial features slack from both the mild spike of pain the movement caused and the anger that flared in his guts. Just hold still, wait until she got close. Hopefully Boris would have clued in by that point as to what was happening, as while the small toon summoned what reserves still remained in his battered state he definitely could say he was not up for a marathon.

"No, no no don', don' please…" Boris was mumbling, barely loud enough to really be heard over the sound of something sparking in the background near them. If 'Alice' heard the toon wolf's words, she opted to ignore them, walking closer.

Bendy waited, listening for when the sounds of 'Alice's' footsteps got within a few feet of him and Boris before he acted. Gathering what little stamina he still had, the devil sprung from Boris's arms, flinging himself with the pipe upraised towards the monstrous woman, gearing for a swing.

And found himself freezing just a few feet away from 'Alice', yanked off the floor enough that his feet could not touch the ground. Adrenaline turned from driven determination to frantic confusion as Bendy tried to figure out what had happened, tried to piece together what was going on and why he couldn't move. Boris had quieted down behind him though the tension in the room rocketed up to razor wire levels, like a pot about to boil over. Bendy looked up and noticed 'Alice's' singular eye fixed upon him, the yellow glowing in the low, flickering light. And though the amalgamation of toon and human had barely moved, Bendy knew that somehow she was responsible, the thought causing ice to settle in his stomach.

" _ **You were supposed to be something, you know. They talked about how the power in the ink, in this place, would be yours to wield once you returned. How you would set everyone free. It's so strange to think about now**_ …" 'Alice's' voice was almost languid, considering as she stared the devil down. Remembering the elevator, Bendy felt that strangling, cold fear grow stronger. _**"…as here you are, so small, helpless…fragile**_."

At the last word, Bendy felt himself be thrown face-first into the floor, left eye slamming into the wood with enough force that he could already feel it swelling in a bruise. Though he wasn't allowed to stay there, 'Alice' raising him back upright to hang in the air in front of her. The devil thought he might have heard Boris yelp at the impact, but he wasn't sure. Wait, Boris, where was-?

The thought was cut off as Bendy was abruptly flung forward, crashing front-first into the far wall next to the floor sign.

"S-Stop! Stop, please! Don' hurt him!"

" **A little late for that** _ **. But why stop now? You said you wanted to ascend, didn't you?"**_

The feeling of being scraped across the wall for a few inches barely had time to register before Bendy was hurled back and upward this time, slamming his already abused back into the ceiling and forcing a cry of pain from the small toon. Blinking black spots from his vision, Bendy dazedly stared at the floor and his own dangling arms, watching as ink fell to the wood far below. And suddenly, the pressure holding him up to the ceiling released, allowing the devil to plummet to the floor with his shrieked name echoing in his ears. Through the pained haze, he heard Boris speaking, a teary, pleading note to his voice.

"Please, please just leave him alone. You don' havta hurt him anymore, you don', y'can-."

But whatever promise Boris was about to make, 'Alice' didn't seem to care, as moments later Bendy was sliding across the floor to be pinned against the wall. The pressure didn't stop at merely holding him up though, the devil beginning to gasp with both pain and the fact that it was growing difficult to breathe.

"BENDY!" Boris yelled, the sound of frantic shifting causing Bendy to jerkily lift his head as only his right eye opened enough to see the other side of the room. At first, he couldn't understand why Boris was still by the wrecked elevator, until he noticed that some of the cables had wound themselves around the wolf's frame, holding him down.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! STOP, STOP HURTIN' HIM RIGHT NOW! Y'don' need t'do this, you can take me! Please, jus' take me an' leave him alone, please…" Bendy tried to shake his head, use some of the air being forced from his lungs to tell Boris to stop, to just run if he could, but the clacking noise of shoes coupled with the sudden presence of dark, inky legs in his vision made him freeze.

" **Business before pleasure** _ **,**_ **dear**." 'Alice' remarked almost distantly, before the pressure around Bendy's chest tightened for a scant few seconds, air rushing from his insides as he gasped and weakly writhed. This wasn't fair, they were going to die here, they were supposed to get out…!

He could hear Boris shouting something, but the words simply washed over him, not registering beyond their sound. Then the crushing sensation lifted, Bendy taking in a deep, raw gasp of air as he slide sideways to the floor. He could hear the sounds of 'Alice' moving about, a scoff in her tone. The black gathering round Bendy's head was enough of a hint as to why.

" _ **Disgusting…**_ " The murmur was accompanied by a vibration in the floor and the toon devil tensed, instinctive dread pushing him to try to curl up to protect himself. However, the noise he heard next caught him completely off-guard. A sort of rubbery, whistling noise followed by a thwack as the object landed next to 'Alice'. Bendy cracked open his unbruised eye, just in time to catch 'Alice' staring down at an object on the floor next to him.

The plunger. But where had that come from, they'd lost it when-.

The next surprise was a glob of ink flying through the air and landing directly on 'Alice's' face, her scream muffled against the goop. Bendy's eyes dazedly retraced the path of the projectile, and landed on a new figure that had just skidded in through the hallway.

It was the black and white ink monster, a gurgling roar breaking forth as the goopy black it was covered in bubbled, like it was a cat trying to make itself look bigger. Bendy couldn't even bring himself to be scared with both how exhausted and hurt he was, coupled with the fact that for once, the monster's attention was not aimed at him or Boris. It seemed entirely focused on 'Alice', perhaps angry that she'd tried to take its prize away. It could stay distracted as far as Bendy was concerned.

Albeit, his ability to move was a little hampered at the moment, so the devil could really only watch as the ink monster charged forward, tackling the warped angel just as she managed to wipe the ink from her face. The pair crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs, 'Alice's' screeching horribly clashing with the gurgling roars that the monster was making.

" _ **GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FILTHY-!**_ " The shout was cut off as the ink monster headbutted the warped angel in the face, leaving a new splatter of ink that covered her eyes and mouth. It was almost impressive to watch. Strange, bizarre, distantly terrifying, but definitely impressive for something that couldn't see what it was doing. The sight was so eye-grabbing it took Bendy's hazy, pain-dulled brain a moment to realize that someone had come to kneel next to him, until they called his name.

"Bendy!"

The devil gave a pained little jolt at the sudden sound, eyes looking up to see Boris staring down at him, canid face contorted in worry. The small toon couldn't say for certain if he replied, but in the next moment the wolf was picking him as carefully and as quickly as he could. It didn't stop Bendy from giving a hiss of discomfort, but if there was anything that the devil could say it was that now might be a good time for them to leave, his pain be damned.

Even still, at Boris's apology there was a lull in the noise from the fighting, 'Alice' managing to wipe away some ink from her face just in time to see that her 'perfect' Boris was getting away. Bendy gasped in time with the taller toon as Boris abruptly locked up, stiffening as something unseen grabbed at his limbs.

" _ **Oh, no you don't-.**_ " She hissed, venom dripping from her double-toned voice as the wolf started to slide backwards on the floor, black shoes making grinding squeaks as they tried to find traction. Frantically Bendy looked from the wolf's terrified face back to the warped angel whose gaze flicked from his friend to the monster, who while still being on top of her didn't seem able to move either. Boris, still caught between his own body being pulled back and his attempts to continue forward toppled onto his front, only just managing to brace himself so he wouldn't fall on top of Bendy. Even still he was sliding back, the devil's gaze flipping desperately between Boris and the glowing, yellow stare of 'Alice', words slipping from his mouth and into the air before he could really stop them.

"'m not gonna let y'take him!" Even as he ground out the sentence between a clenched set of teeth Bendy found himself latching a hand around one of Boris's overall straps, his tail wrapping around what it could of the wolf as his other hand scrabbled at the floor in a bid to escape.

'Alice' didn't reply, the only warning Bendy had being a low growl before pressure and pain suddenly exploded like a lit firework in his face, the hallway dissolving into an unfocused haze as his head snapped back on his neckless body as though it had been kicked. His ears were ringing, everything hurt and Bendy could taste ink so he let his head flop sideways so the dark liquid could dribble onto the floor. The ringing started to die down, enough that the devil could hear his name being shouted with increasing urgency, the familiarity of the voice making him spit out the last of the loose ink before creakily turning his head. His left eye had swollen closed entirely, but his right still…mostly responded. Enough that he could make out Boris staring down at him, eyes wide with tears spilling over. For a moment, Bendy couldn't remember why the wolf might be so upset, before it came back to him; 'Alice'.

The devil's limbs were very much bruised, his head still felt foggy, and he could still taste ink coming from somewhere in his mouth, but he still wouldn't let her take Boris. Even if he only just remembered a bare, more emotionally raw sense of how his pal had been hurt, Bendy still did his best to keep his hands clenched around Boris's overall straps, a sort of dim reasoning being that at the very least the wolf would not be alone. If 'Alice' wanted one, she'd have to take both of them. Not that Boris seemed to have very many reservations regarding that sentiment, cradling the small toon in an arm as he tried to push himself to his feet.

Distantly Bendy could hear…noise, sounding almost like the oncoming roar of heavy rain, and a familiar set of pipes screeching something though he couldn't make out the words. Whatever it was, Boris stiffened, a growl reverberating through the taller toon's chest as his head snapped back around to look in the direction of 'Alice'. Bendy's eyeline shifted, giving him a good view of the warped angel's face going from angrily confrontational to…shock? It didn't make much sense, though Bendy didn't have very much time to process it before whatever was holding Boris back fell away, the wolf barreling down the corridor the moment he was free. The rapid bouncing made the aches and pains throughout Bendy's system zing through his abused frame, the devil burying his head into Boris's fur and clenching the overall straps in a death grip. After what had happened, Bendy was hardly going to risk letting go of the wolf now.

Meanwhile Boris dashed down the hall, too wound up to care about keeping track of the many turns he was taking as he simply ran. The pure, frustrated anger that had roared through him a few minutes ago was gone, the bracing heat it bought to his insides vanishing with it and leaving him feeling cold and small. Now he just had to run, if for nothing else than the small toon still pressed to the wolf's front, who barely made any noise.

 _What was that, what had happened, she'd hurt Bendy so bad without even touching him, and yet Boris wasn't surprised by that, why wasn't he,_ _ **are you sure you want an answer-?**_

Boris was gasping for air by the time he felt safe enough to stop, almost sliding into an office door before managing to work his nerveless fingers to grip the knob. Ripping the door open, the wolf hurried through before doing his best not to slam it behind him as he leaned back for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

"'or's…?" Bendy mumbled, the devil's small hands still clamped on the wolf's overall straps.

"B-Ben…" The wolf's voice came out as a warble, and he tried to regather himself. Bendy needed him to be strong, he needed to take care of his pal. Bendy had gotten hurt, could have died just to keep the taller toon safe despite everyone and everything in here wanting a piece of the little devil.

Boris had to keep Bendy safe, he was all the wolf had left.

"It's alright, Bendy. I'm here, it's okay. I'm gonna h-help you-."

Boris's voice cracked again as he remembered that Bendy had been the one with the inkwells, and he was pretty sure they wouldn't have survived the beating the devil took. A shaking, gloved hand maneuvered to check Bendy's pockets. Both inkwells were still there, and Boris found what felt like a piece of paper that he left alone. One of the little glass bottles was definitely damaged, seeping ink into the cloth Bendy had wrapped it in. Boris did his best to uncap the bottle, trying to rush along getting the dwindling supply to the stricken toon as he tried to ignore a growing, dull ache in his own limbs.

"He-Here, Bendy, drink this, alright?" The wolf shakily instructed as he tried to lift the inkwell up without spilling it. There were still drips that slid down the devil's pale face, from both the breakage of the glass and the shakiness of the pair, but a good amount of it managed to get into Bendy's mouth. Boris quickly tossed the ink well aside, grabbing the other one and quickly uncapping that.

This time however Bendy moved his head away, a stubborn frown settling in on the devil's face.

"Bendy, c-c'mon don' do that, you need…"

"Y'havta hav' s'me too." The small toon croaked, keeping his head turned away from Boris's still-unsteady attempts to get him to drink.

"Huh?" Boris wasn't really sure what the devil was talking about at first, he felt…

…Not so great, now that the wolf took stock. His limbs felt like they'd been pulled, probably from the cables that 'Alice' had used to hold him, and the fall he'd had while trying to get away had definitely banged up his knees. However, he felt sore in places like his shoulders, his head and jaw, even in his fingers. Places that hadn't been strained by the elevator cables.

There was also the fact that all this soreness seemed concentrated at the center of Boris's chest, a faint, constant itch present under the fur. That particularly set the wolf on edge, his eyes going from the middle distance to the inkwell he still held in his hand. Bendy had started to succumb to the narcotic effects the ink but fought sleep for the moment to muzzily stare up at Boris, a confused, searching look sweeping over the small pale face as he tried to puzzle out the expression he was seeing.

"I-It's okay, Bendy, I'll take it." Boris soothed, shakily bringing the inkwell to his mouth and drinking a few sips before proffering it to the devil again. "See, I had some, you take th' last bit."

Thankfully exhaustion and ink-induced sleepiness had taken some of the wind out of Bendy's sails, the devil swallowing down the last few sips with no more complaint. However, though the small, gloved hands loosened on Boris's overall straps, they didn't uncurl enough to let go. The wolf's longer fingers gently pried the devil's away, pie-cut eyes casting about before the taller toon picked out a cot on the far side of the room, next to a dusty desk and chair. Trembling fingers pulled the blanket away, Boris placing it down before realizing that he probably should take off the devil's coat and scarf. Throughout the entire painstaking process, the wolf felt his eyes burn more and more at the sight of patch after patch of swollen, tender-looking, and in a few cases, ink-dribbling injuries marring Bendy's small frame.

He needed to do something. The realization seemed slower in coming than it ought to have been, though immediately following it Boris tried to place Bendy on the cot as carefully as possible. The smaller toon barely moved, though his widow's peak minutely twitched, the rest of Bendy's face already mired with pain. The toon wolf paused just long enough to hold Bendy's hand for an instant, giving it a gentle squeeze before carefully placing with the rest of the devil on the cot and turning to see what was available to work with in the room. The office itself was pretty bare, with the aforementioned desk, chair and cot being the only real pieces of furniture in the room.

There were a couple of boxes on the far wall, with something flat under a tarp. The wolf opted to leave that alone and turned his attention to the desk. The drawers creaked as they were pulled open, but the bottom one yielded two tightly folded, if somewhat dusty blankets, one of them thin enough to tear into strips. The next few minutes passed in somewhat tense silence, broken only by the light sound of the linen giving as Boris painstakingly tried to both make suitable bandages and shake out as much of the dust as he could. Eventually they passed a very reluctant muster, and Boris began the somewhat harrowing process of maneuvering the small, unconscious toon in the cot to bandage up the injuries he'd noticed.

The first was on Bendy's back, the entirety of the dark shoulder blades marred by swelling. As Boris finally managed to cover the spots that were seeping ink, Bendy's face scrunched, a cough rattling its way through the small frame. At the sight of more ink staining the devil's lips, Boris floundered for an instant before carefully easing Bendy to rest on his right side. The shifting did allow the small toon to be rid of the ink a lot quicker, gravity and a few coughs causing a small bit of black to dribble onto the cot. Boris quickly put a piece of the linen under Bendy's face to catch the liquid, and tried to get back to work as quick as he could. The next thing he patched was a part of the left side of Bendy's face, the close look at the still-swollen eye making the wolf wish they had ice or more inkwells. He wasn't sure if the small bit of ink Bendy ingested would be enough for this, the thought especially prevalent as he wrapped another strip of linen around a shallow cut on Bendy's leg, just above the knee. They'd have to at least try to find more, if…if he'd found some before, he could surely do so again, right?

Boris shied away from the thoughts, not wanting to deal with any hazy bits of memory right now, instead focusing on wrapping another strip around Bendy's head, fumbling a little between that and his earlier patch job to the devil's temple. The fact that the smaller toon had barely moved throughout the whole ordeal was both somewhat relieving, and a little worrying. However, the wolf could feel a steady beat of air against his hand when he rested it close to Bendy's mouth, so he opted to at least try to relax a little. Besides, what else could he do?

There was still one more blanket in the drawer, this one a little thicker than the one that was lying about in pieces now, and given that the wolf was starting to feel a chill in the room, he covered Bendy up in the cot before pulling the chair over and wrapping himself in the remaining blanket. Despite the fact that the new position caused the various hurts from before to start coming back in earnest, Boris couldn't quite bring himself to settle down. Images of something coming through the door, pushing their way through cracks in the walls, even seeping up through the floor to separate them kept the wolf frenetically tense. He almost wished Bendy were awake, just so he would have something to distract him from the thoughts that now crept in with the yawning silence.

Nerves caused the lanky frame to fidget under the blanket, Boris fighting with himself for a moment before he reached out and carefully wrapped his hand around Bendy's, longer fingers completely encapsulating the small appendage. Even still, it gave him comfort in knowing that the devil was still here with him, wasn't stolen and neither of them, at least for this moment, were in danger of dying or…or being lost. The faint serenity the idea brought, mingling with the feeling of achy heaviness in his limbs, finally let Boris's eyelids sink lower and lower before finally sliding closed altogether, the wolf's frame relaxing entirely under the threadbare blanket. His fingers still remained closed around Bendy's smaller hand, both toons entirely asleep as the studio rumbled and clanked around them.

And, from across the room, the sheet that had been covering the flat shape slid off with a jerk, the pie-cut eyes of a cutout having a clear view of the room and the two toons passed out practically next to each other.

And, in another hallway in the decrypt studio, the black and white ink monster juddered to a halt in its journey down the passage, head bowing to the floor for a moment before it pulled itself forward with a shuddering lurch, the ink near its face beginning to drip a little quicker as it pushed on.

* * *

Changed up things a little bit at the end there, hopefully it doesn't take too much away from the flashback. Feel free to let me know what you think in a review. Still getting the hang of having major edits in a fanfic.

And thanks for bearing with! It's definitely been a hell of an experience, and with hopefully a lot more to go!


	7. Ch6: Hijo De La Luna

Oh boy, we're back. As always, Bendy and the Ink Machine is the property of theMeatly, and the AU of Henry and the Ink Machine is from the mind of thelostmoongazer on Tumblr. Also, certain bit here is from upperstories on Tumblr. Anyone overly familiar with the AU will likely know what I'm talking about. Bit of a shakeup in this chapter, with a few different things starting to kick off, so I kind of waffled on it a little wondering at first if I was being too obscure, then too obvious, before just deciding to roll with what I was doing. You all let me know if it's working. Especially seeing as we're deviating from the main storyline a little.

Thank you all, and enjoy!

* * *

Hijo De La Luna:

Bendy floated, free of pain and mind a quiet, blank fog. It was…calm, peaceful, and for what could have been either minutes or hours the devil was content to simply drift.

However, there was something coming from a ways off in the black, almost like a faint pulse, the thrumming reverberating in the small toon's bones. At first, it just added to the calm, and Bendy ignored it. Albeit the longer it went on, the stronger it grew, and with the steady rising in strength came…noise, that also brushed on the edge of the little devil's senses. They sounded like indistinct voices, but there was one that started to separate itself from the rest and stood out to Bendy's ear.

 _"Please, I just need more time…You can't let him have them, just…please…"_

It sounded wretched, pained, and exhausted, but it was so achingly familiar.

Henry? Bendy knew that his mouth had moved, though no sound escaped from his lips, the name going unheard as the strength of the humming briefly spiked enough to set his teeth on edge. Mixed in were all sorts of lower and higher sounds, ranging from clicks to hissing to rumbles of what sounded like thunder. Perhaps there were words, but they were so entrenched with the other noises that Bendy hardly had a chance of deciphering what was being said, if anything at all.

 _"Please…"_ The whisper grew desperate, and Bendy ached to do or say something, but no matter what he tried he couldn't move or speak. " _Please…just make him head somewhere else, make him…lose interest, please, I-I can't…"_

" _Please_ …" At first the word sounded like an echo, before Bendy placed the different voice and tone. It was…Alice? It sounded like her, free from whatever corruption lay in the warped angel he had seen. Bendy tried to fidget, and though it did feel like he was looking around he couldn't see much of anything. Just murky darkness. There wasn't even a sign of anything near him-.

Another rumble reverberated through the toon's frame, though the part about it that worried him, would have made him shake or curl up to hide if he had more energy, was how close it sounded. Before, it had felt like one of those passenger planes he'd see passing overhead sometimes, or far off thunder. Now…it sounded like it was right above him.

Bendy really only had seconds to process that before a hand suddenly landed on his head, the sudden contact causing him to stiffen up. However, if he were waiting for it to rake down over his face, or pull on him at all, Bendy was thankfully disappointed. The hand was long and thin, sort of like Boris's, but somehow even more so than the wolf's own hands, something that Bendy wasn't sure was possible. The fingers themselves were resting on the top of the little devil's head, with the thumb pressed to a spot just above his brow line, exceedingly gentle as it rubbed lines into the inky skin. It was sort of like how he'd seen parents interact with their children over the decades he'd spent out on the streets. For a moment, Bendy wasn't sure what to make of it. The closest anyone had come to interacting with him like this was Henry, and that had been so long ago. Was this-?

"He _nry?_ " Bendy murmured, head turning weakly as though the man might just step out of the black around him.

 _"…Bendy?"_ The trembling of anxiety in his own name made something stir in the devil's chest, his hands twitching as they tried to reach out, to see if he could find the animator. Surely he had to be close if they could hear each other, right? But, for all intents and purposes, the devil's limbs felt as heavy as bricks, and stayed at his sides.

" _Bendy, where are you? I need to…I can't find you, you need to tell me where you are!_ " Though the near-frantic edge to the normally calm voice made the devil want to panic too, because if Henry was having a meltdown then things were definitely bad, the brief snaps of speech did bring some hope to the toon's foggy mind. Henry was here, he was here somewhere, and he was looking for them. He and Boris weren't alone. They just had to find Henry.

Though, just as Bendy opened his mouth to answer, the hand at his forehead suddenly lifted away, and a solitary fingertip pressed down at the center of his chest. Trying to shrug away from it wasn't yielding anything, and the longer it stayed the more Bendy registered the sensation of…falling, but more in slow motion, like he was being pushed carefully downward.

But, wait, no, he didn't want that right now because-.

 _"Bendy! Answer me, where are you?!"_

Henry. He needed to reply to Henry, so they'd be able to find each other. Not that things were going to be that easy because whatever made the rest of him so heavy had extended its reach to his vocal chords, the devil struggling just to make an iota of noise.

" _H'ry…_ " Bendy forced out, slumber taking ahold again and blanking his mind. But, it was not quick enough that he didn't hear a reply.

 _"Bendy, I'm coming, it's going to be alright. Just stay with Boris and I'll come find you."_

It's going to be alright, I'll find you. Bendy tried to hold onto that sentiment the further down he dropped, familiar weight settling into his frame as he felt, well, less floaty and more like he usually did. Just as the airy feeling started to fade entirely, a series of images flashed through his mind, almost too quickly for Bendy to really piece together. The wheelchair, sitting abandoned in a dusty closet, a glowing infinity symbol as the centerpiece of a larger design, much like the ones that he'd seen laid out on various walls and floors in the studio, followed by more. The rest were glowing, simplified images of what looked like a record, quickly followed by a broken chain link, and an inkwell followed by what looked like a shield.

His senses greyed out before Bendy really could give them any thought, and it felt like a long while before he was able to open his eyes. His left eye still wouldn't work, but the right stared out at the room for a moment as his brain tried to catch up. He hurt, everything was in a state of dull pain, but there were a few things warring for attention in his thoughts, one was how he ended up in this condition, another was how he'd gotten here, and the last-.

"H'ry?" Bendy murmured, a foggy certainty in the devil's mind that he had spoken to the animator, that Henry was here somewhere. However, when the mumbled summons went unanswered, the encroaching realization that he'd probably just dreamed it made a heavy feeling of isolation press stronger on the smaller toon.

Except…no, wait, that wasn't right, because he was with-.

A faint nasally snore from over his head made Bendy glance up as best he could, pie-cut eyes locking onto the prone form of Boris, wrapped up in an old blanket and slumped in a chair. Though the wolf was definitely asleep, his expression looked anything but relaxed. There was a faint furrow in the taller toon's brow, eyes flicking about under their lids with a feverish jitteriness. A faint memory of a similar scene in a Lil' Miracle Station prompted Bendy to reach out, a hand shakily clenching over the blanket that Boris had wrapped himself in, and probably the pant leg underneath it.

"Bor's, pal…" The little devil started, voice whispery at first before he tried again, a little louder. "B-Boris-!"

The jolt that the wolf's frame made knocked into the cot that Bendy was in, making it rattle alarmingly under the smaller toon as Boris sprang from sleep. However, though the taller toon definitely seemed awake to Bendy's admittedly foggy mind, there was a brief moment where Boris didn't seem to know where he was, eyes darting all about before focusing on the devil's face.

"B…Bendy…?"

"'ey, pal." Bendy murmured, though his words were somewhat lost as Boris shakily eased himself down to give the smaller toon's features a closer look. Not that Bendy could blame the wolf for his worry, as the devil knew that he probably looked a fright.

"Ben, how's, how're you feelin'?" Boris finally forced out, voice a little worn on top of worried. The observation made the initial response die a little on Bendy's tongue, the devil eventually trying to force a smile despite the fact that it made the left side of his face hurt and compounded a headache that was starting to throb through the smaller toon's skull.

"Jus' fine, Bor's." But even with the exhausted attempt, Boris still didn't look completely convinced, ears low as he carefully watched Bendy's face. Unable to offer any more reassurance, the little devil opted to change the topic. Besides, he didn't remember coming in here… "W-Where are we?"

"I-I don' know." Boris rushed out, Bendy's swimming brain struggling to follow as the wolf kept talking. "I…I wasn' payin' attention, b-b'fore, when I was runnin' f-from…I think we're on th' same floor, as where the elevator came down, bu'…I really, I don' know anythin' else."

Even if the words took an extra minute to register, the still frenetic, anxious tone in them was apparent even to Bendy's pain-fogged ears.

"'sokay, pal." He found himself murmuring, reaching out to the wolf from the cot. Even still, Boris continued on the heels of a heavy swallow, voice trembling as he spoke.

"No, 's not. W-We're lost. I got us-."

"It's okay." Bendy broke through, trying to make himself sound as firm as he could on the matter. Boris fell quiet, though the instant he noticed that the devil was trying to pat at what he could reach of the wolf's shoulders the taller toon did his best to gather the smaller frame to himself with as little pain as possible. Bendy still couldn't help a hiss or two from sliding out, and his everywhere still ached, but when he found himself in the same position as he had been for much of this insane adventure, one that had always had some level of grounding safety to it, he couldn't help but relax.

However, as the devil shakily reached around under the blanket to wrap Boris in as much of a reciprocating hug as he could, he noticed an odd slickness to the wolf's fur, like sweat or grime. The confusing thing about that was the fact that the room's air was mildly chilled against Bendy's face. Maybe the blanket was too warm? It certainly felt thick enough…

"Boris…" The devil tried, frowning a little at the clumsy, thick feeling to his brain and tongue that he just couldn't shake. "…you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, Ben. 'm fine." The wolf mumbled, curling over the smaller toon. Still, it wasn't enough to block out the sight of a heavy, haunted look nearly etching itself into the canid features. Abruptly, something came back to Bendy, a flash of _flying upwards and smashing into the ceiling, hearing someone pleading that they could just take them, please, just leave 'im alone! And he dropped towards the floor, hearing that someone screaming his name_ -

Bendy managed to jolt out of the memory, though even the vague recollections caused a deep pang in the devil's chest as he managed to piece together the facts. He'd tried to stop 'Alice' from taking Boris but had ended up worse off than he'd been following the elevator dropping with them in it, which was definitely an achievement. Not to mention, the wolf had watched the whole ordeal unfold, while being unable to do anything about it.

 _ **Your fault, little parasite, burden, look at what's happened because of you...**_

Bendy couldn't stop the feeling of dampness from starting to build up at the edges of his eyes and the crease of his brow, fingers clumsily clutching at what he could of the wolf as words failed him. Seeming to sense the upset, Boris simply hugged the little devil as tightly as he could without causing any more aggravation to Bendy's wounds. The wolf hardly seemed able to speak himself, the taller frame starting to shake as nearly-silent sobs rattled through one after the other.

It was unclear if the moment carried for minutes or hours, but eventually the pair finally managed to calm. Whether it was due to an actual sense of calm or mere exhaustion, it was hard to say. The two states were nearly indistinguishable at this point.

It wasn't until Bendy opened his eyes, peering through bleary vision across the room, and at a familiar painted grin tucked in with some boxes in the dusty corner, that his brain started to work again.

"B-Bor's…?" The hazy, if wary question, not to mention the tension that started to putter fitfully to life in the devil's frame got the wolf's attention, Boris stiffening in kind as he looked to where Bendy was looking. Before Boris could register the cutout, something else seemed to occur to the wolf, frame tensing around the devil as his gaze seemed to flip-flop between both sides of the room.

"Boris?" Bendy tried, still fighting a weird blanket of injury-numbed stupor that gripped his head and mouth. "Wh-What's wrong?"

"I, I don' know how I know, but…but I don' think we're alrigh' here, we need t'go-."

It was a rather sudden change, one that had Bendy peering all about the room. The only thing that the devil found unsavory was the cutout, his mind a little torn on how to handle it. Though the cutouts themselves hadn't caused 'Sammy' to show up, destroying them had, Bendy couldn't help a feeling of suspicion settling in his stomach, his frame going stiff as a board in Boris's arms. Something started to creep into the wolf's expression as his gaze went from the cutout, to a spot on the wall to their right.

"Yeah, we need t'go." Boris murmured after a moment, though a glance at where the taller toon was staring told Bendy nothing. The wall looked ink-stained, dilapidated, but no different than any of the others in the studio. But something about it had definitely whipped the wolf to action, the taller toon gathering himself together before bundling the still-puzzled devil in the thicker blanket. Just as the wolf exited the room, Bendy caught sight of the beginning of a dark haze creeping into being at the end of the hall. Not that Boris seemed to need any help, the taller toon quickly bolting down the hall to almost fly around the next left turn. Despite the fact that bouncing around in the wolf's hold was only helping so much with the cottony feeling miring his brain, Bendy did his best to listen for any sign of pursuit. Was the hissing from something on their tail, or from the pipes overhead? Was the constant dripping getting louder, or was it just because things were echoing so much in the confined space?

The hallways seemed to grow darker and dingier, not helping with the devil's efforts to see if there were any inky tendrils stretching out from the walls behind. Boris did his best to throw off any monsters by taking another right, though it still felt like the pair had company. However, there were no other ways to go in the hall, barring a partially open door at the end.

Ignoring a growing rumble of machinery grinding and clattering about, Boris dashed the last stretch it took to get to the room, pushing open the door with his shoulder and nudging it closed behind him. The room was only lit with flickering emergency lights, not to mention stuffed with old boxes, but there was a familiar shape in the center of it all that drew the pair's eyes.

In the cramped, musty, damp room was another ink machine, running fitfully as ink sputtered from its spout, as well as various other spots around the nozzle. It was almost the same as the one from upstairs, except for the simpler, aged look to the frame, and some cables and pipes leading up into the ceiling rather than down. Perhaps if the little devil hadn't had the experience he'd had in the music department, as well as noticed the plans for the machine lying around, he would have been more surprised. At the moment, he was mostly just worried about what it could mean, there being a working, running ink machine sitting down in what was apparently the lowest level of the studio, off in an isolated corner like this. However, Bendy only got the chance to look at it and consider the idea for a minute, before Boris's arms suddenly squeezed tightly around him.

"Boris, what're-?!" The devil started to hiss, only to catch sight of the manner in which the wolf was staring down at his feet, or something on the floor, with growing horror building in his features. Glancing down himself, Bendy noticed that the floor of the room was entirely slick with a sheen of ink, probably leaking from the machine they were standing near. However, the more he stared at the puddle, and his faint reflection in it, the devil noticed an odd distortion rippling around his and Boris's mirrored frames, the glimmers of the dim lighting abruptly narrowing down to familiar points, **shining in the darkness like the glow of a thousand eyes all fixed on them** -.

"Boris, Boris, run, run please-!" Bendy started to babble despite himself, an almost elemental fear causing his insides to turn to ice as he stared at his reflection, even as its eyes grew far too dark and huge and staring, the frightened expression morphing into a frozen, horribly familiar smile, he could hear whispering the more he stared, heard chittering voices murmuring **Bendy Bendy Bendy** …

It was so transfixing that Bendy barely noticed when Boris abruptly gasped, head suddenly snapping to look back at the door they'd come through before hurrying forward as quickly and carefully as he could. Nearly blending in with the ink-splattered wood was a door, bordered with stacks of old boxes and what looked like spare machine parts. Thankfully it wasn't locked, Boris nearly twisting the knob off in his frantic spurt of energy and dashing inside to a small hallway, with a stairwell in front of them leading down, and another door to their right.

The instant the door closed behind them, the pair were beset by another sound, that of the old ink machine starting to make a noise not unlike a roar. It was almost like the cobbled collection of mechanical parts and ink had suddenly taken on the might of a force of nature unto itself, the howling thunder nearly rattling the door off its hinges. It was a sound that the pair could only remember in one prior memory, about a month before Alice had been made. They'd actually been eating breakfast that morning when the ink machine had suddenly set off with a droning grind like an air raid siren. And, much like it had then, it nearly debilitated the pair, Boris trying to cover his ears while still holding onto Bendy. The devil himself fumbled between his aching limbs and the fact that he was being pressed to the taller toon's chest, eventually pressing one side of his head into the wolf's front to shut out the noise. Stumbling about, Boris miraculously managed to avoid slipping on the stairs as he fled down, though there were a few close calls as he came to the landing, which practically had a layer of ink unto itself. The room looked to be where a lot of the runoff from the machine was going, though judging from how it wasn't rising past ankle height there had to be another drain somewhere that they weren't seeing. It was understandable given the number of boxes in this area too, further proving the idea that the rooms were meant for storage and not much else.

Albeit, as the roar of the ink machine upstairs faded with distance, another sound started to become audible to Boris's ears, the wolf straightening at the noise. It didn't sound like the gurgling ink, or the dripping pipes. Not even the steady grind of the machinery that was in the walls around them, no, this was something different, something out of place in the constant hum of background noise. It sounded almost like a person, a person taking in gasping coughs of air. It was very tiny and weak, but the wolf could hear it plain as day.

"Boris?" Bendy whispered as the wolf took a careful step forward, the voicing of his name reminding Boris that he wasn't alone.

"I hear somethin'. Over there somewhere." The taller toon replied shortly, pointing in the direction of a row of boxes stacked so high that not even he had a chance of seeing over them.

"Maybe we shouldn'a come down here."

"No, no, I think it's a person, Ben. It sounds…" Boris started, trailing off as he reached the end of the row and edged around. The noise was a little louder back here, and with the new barrier to block the sound of the machine upstairs the pitiful coughs and gasps were all the more audible. Now even Bendy could hear them, the little devil going silent as he peered about for the source. There was nothing that either could see, but there was another row of boxes equally high set up in front of them. Perhaps whoever it was was on the other side.

As Boris inched around the second row of boxes, the back of the room came into view, lit by a flickering emergency light that sat in the seam where the wall met the ceiling. It lit up a backwall nearly filled with old furniture, sans one part directly under the light that was broken up by a table. A table, the pair realized, that was inscribed with what looked like another one of those inky spell-circles, some of the border having been dripped on by a leak from one of the pipes overhead. And, in the center of that…

The twitching, jerking motions the little shape was making went in time with the gasping coughs, the tiny figure, a toon, fighting with something unseen for what looked like its life. Boris hurriedly started to move forward, though Bendy couldn't help but be a mite bit more cautious after everything he'd been through. But unlike the globby, malformed monsters, this one had actual shape, and it wasn't mismatched like the Butcher Gang. As Boris drew close, the tiny head turned, Bendy blinking for a moment at the look of it. It…almost looked like him. He could just make out a set of small horns, pointing downwards instead of up like his own. The face, at least what Bendy could see of it, was also a pale white like his own, the lips parted as weak little pants and coughs rattled their way loose, like the other toon was struggling to breathe properly. As the pair stared, the tiny being seemed to clue into there being someone else there, a mitten-looking glove weakly flopping in the pair's direction. Instead of merely gasping, the mouth started to form silent syllables, words. Even in the low light, at least one of them could be read, a weak little 'help' forming on the tiny creature's lips.

Bendy felt something inside himself grow cold with the ensuing realization; the other toon was cognizant, enough to react in a human-like manner to get help. It was the first sign of benign, not-monster-fied life that Bendy had seen since arriving in the studio, apart from Boris. And, from the looks of things, it (he?) was in trouble.

Boris reached out, fingers just about to land on the tiny toon before the wolf suddenly yanked his hand back, yelping in pain.

"Pal, what-?!"

"I-It burned me!" The wolf whined, checking over his hand. Bendy couldn't see any marks or injuries, but from how Boris had moved, he knew that the taller toon hadn't been fooling. Swiping a hand over his head, and wincing as the movement jostled his bandage, Bendy was about to reach out to Boris's hand just to be sure when another cough broke up the inspection, the tiny frame on the ink-covered table shaking even worse than before. They had to do something, get the toon away from where he was, but what could they do, they couldn't touch the table, with the circle-!

The circle, the circle was made with dried ink. The border of it had been damaged and while it gave Bendy an idea of how to help he knew that wiping it away would take too long. Acting on impulse, Bendy reached up to his forehead, dabbing for a moment at his runny, unbandaged brow before smearing what ink he'd managed to gather on his fingertips over the circle, interrupting the intricate design. The moment the design was blotted, a feeling like an inaudible pop rippled through the air, punctuated by the tiny frame at the center suddenly giving a gasping jolt to life. However, it didn't take long for the heaving gulps of air to turn into somewhat desperate-sounding sobbing, which snapped both Bendy and Boris back to the situation at hand. Well, at least now it seemed more than obvious that the tiny toon was not about to leap up and hurt them in some way…

"Hey, hey, 's alright, lil' guy…" Bendy tried, straining his voice in an effort to sound as soothing as possible despite some hoarseness. Boris moved first, reaching out with an unoccupied arm to the tiny frame. However, just as the wolf's fingers brushed against the minute devil's shoulder, the tiny toon started, trying to bolt upright while turning to look in their direction. Not that Bendy figured the other devil could see very much, given that the other's eyes were hidden behind a curtain of leaking ink.

Still, blind or not, it was clear that the tiny toon was completely terrified out of his wits, judging from the gasping pants that were emerging as the frail-looking frame vibrated. Even more worrying was how the minute devil was starting to edge back, shakily but enough that Bendy and Boris could see an inevitable fall happening. The table didn't completely meet with the wall, after all.

"Hey, buddy, it's okay." Boris rumbled first, seeking to head off the impending disaster. "'salright, we're not gonna hurt you, promise."

"Yeah, kid, like he said." Bendy jumped in, pushing past the cottony feeling to put every ounce of calming comfort that he could in his voice. "Look, we'll tell you who we are, w-would that help?"

The question did get the tiny toon to pause in his shuffling, head tilting quizzically at the idea before giving a little bob of a nod.

"Uh, 'm, I'm Bendy, an' th' other guy here's Boris. What's your name?"

For a moment, the tiny devil seemed unable to answer, before seeming to come to a decision and scooting forward slightly, pointing in Boris's direction.

"…your name is Boris?" Bendy thought aloud, incredulity etched in both his and the wolf's faces. However, it appeared he'd been off the mark with his guess, as the other devil's head shook back and forth for a moment and caused ink to flick about. Still, the little guy was pointing in Boris's direction again, more insistently this time.

"I don' understand what you're tryin' t'say, buddy-." Boris started, only to be cut off as the last word sent the tiny toon into a slightly muted frenzy of insistent pointing. This time, Bendy felt like he'd gotten the message.

"Buddy? Your name's Buddy?"

The response was…less than heartening. The tiny figure grew still, withdrawing somewhat as the small face turned downward in a show of either shyness or guardedness, Bendy wasn't entirely sure. It did remind him a little of a small child, from what he remembered of seeing them out in the world. After a moment, 'Buddy' gave a vague sort of shrug, the implication that the pair puzzled out being that he either didn't have a name or wasn't sure what it was to begin with.

Well, despite how the tiny toon looked they couldn't exactly call him 'Tiny Bendy'…

"'salright, kid. Buddy it is."

"Nice t'meetcha, Buddy."

The dual acceptance did seem to smooth over the earlier nervousness, the tiny devil's head raising a bit and a small, quivery shadow of a smile passing over the pale, ink-streaked face. However, with that out of the way, they were all left in something of a quandary. Well, partly a quandary, Bendy had at least one possible move forward in mind.

"D'ya wanna come with us, kid? We're tryin' t'get outta here. Outta th' studio." He added, as the second sentence didn't promote more than blank not-staring from the tiny toon. At the clarification something in Buddy's face seemed to slacken in surprise, before the minute frame shakily shuffled closer, giving a few nods. Boris snapped to just in time to catch the tiny toon at the edge of the table, shuffling Bendy a little so he could eventually hold both devil toons at the same time. The closer vantage point gave Bendy a better look at Buddy's head, along with the ink that liberally coated the top half of the similarly pale features. Fighting down a shudder, the devil couldn't help but ruminate that, well, he'd wanted a new direction to head in, this seemed like a good start.

"How's about we get outta here, try that other door we saw?"

Boris nodded at the suggestion, about to reach out to the tiny devil before pausing and actually speaking to the miniature toon.

"Hey, Buddy? I'm gonna pick you up, okay?" The wolf only continued once Buddy had nodded to show he'd understood, gently reaching around to scoop the minute frame up, drawing Buddy to rest a little higher up against his chest from where Bendy was. The movement seemed almost too hesitant, Bendy quickly speaking up.

"Y'can put me down, pal, if you're havin' trouble-."

"No, 'sokay, I'm fine." Boris quickly replied, only turning to leave once he seemed satisfied that he wasn't about to drop either of the two devil toons. It was a little awkward moving back around the boxes with the extra passenger, but Boris managed. As they ascended the stairs, Bendy noticed that the noise of the other ink machine had partially gone down. Still, it was loud enough to make the landing around them rattle, the little devil quickly reaching out to the door once Boris was close enough. Thankfully, it wasn't locked, and opened onto another staircase going up.

Though their path up was more than a little cautious, it turned out that not a one of the trio needed to worry. The small room, resembling that of an office converted into a partial storeroom with a few boxes here and there, was mostly ink free barring a stain or two on the walls and in the corners. A light softly glowed from a spot above a desk, and Bendy could make out what looked like a cot against the back wall. It was, for the moment, a perfectly good spot to take a break.

The idea was something that Boris seemed to share as well, given how the wolf's steps into the room became more and more sure. However, as the taller toon set the pair down on the cot, Bendy couldn't help but notice how much the lanky frame drooped, a quick glance up at Boris's face revealing that the normal blush was somewhat obscured by a feverish dark grey that was spreading over the canid features. The wolf's eyes were also starting to go grey at the edges, like he'd been up for hours.

"Boris…" Bendy started, feeling something sink in his chest at how the taller toon's head belatedly jerked over to look in his direction, expression attentive but wane. "…y'feelin' okay, pal?"

"…Y-Yeah…" Despite the affirmative, the growing croakiness to the wolf's voice seemed to contradict Boris's certainty. "…Jus' tired."

"…Maybe y'oughta siddown, pal. C'mere." Bendy's frown deepened at the jerkiness to the wolf's limbs, Boris all but collapsing to sit on the cot next to the pair. Buddy jolted at the shaking Boris accidentally caused, pressing close to Bendy for a moment before he realized that nothing new had come to join them. By that point though, Bendy already had a thought in mind for how to carry on from here. Despite the fact that his injuries still stung, and the multiple whacks to his head were definitely still an issue, if the cottony feeling he kept noticing was any indication, the smaller toon did his best to hop down from the cot to the floor. He only realized that he might need to say something after the sudden shift made Buddy start, Boris straightening as well once he realized what the little devil was doing.

"Ben…?"

"Just gonna check the desk, 'sokay, I'll be right back." Bendy offered in an attempt to mollify the pair, even gently steering Buddy over to Boris to give the tiny toon someone to cling to. Upon actually touching the wolf, Buddy seemed to key into something being wrong, a mitten hand reaching up to press against Boris's front. It was only after the lanky frame jerked that Bendy realized that that might not be a good idea, and quickly wheeled back to steer Buddy's hand away.

"Kid, don't touch him there." Despite the fact that Bendy was hardly being overly sharp nor harsh, the minute devil still froze at both the hand wrapping around his own and the tone, a faint flinch juddering through his features as though he expected something worse than a mere admonition. "Buddy, it's…you're not in trouble, Boris just don't…he doesn't like bein' touched there, so just be careful about it, okay?"

"Sorry…" Boris suddenly spoke up, a faint timbre of strain in his tone that ran separate from the croakiness, and one that Bendy could sadly say wasn't unfamiliar.

"'sokay, pal. Y'don't…it's not your fault." Bendy could say with complete certainty that it was more than a little strange to hear that phrase coming from his own mouth, but he would rather go find 'Alice' and let her light him up like a Christmas tree than let Boris blame himself for getting ripped apart. Especially considering what he'd managed to glean regarding the circumstances… "Just sit tight, I'll be right back."

Besides, it wasn't as though the desk was in another room. Just a few steps away, and as luck would have it, the drawers were not locked.

It also seemed as though Lady Luck favored the trio even more, given that one of the top drawers that Bendy opened was entirely filled with inkwells. It wasn't a very deep drawer, and the jars were all lying on their sides, but the devil toon could count at least ten. And, in one of the bottom drawers, he found another batch of linen blankets folded up, probably to use with the cot. There was a layer of dust on everything, but the fact that they were here at all…

"Bendy?" Boris suddenly asked, attention drawn by how the smaller toon had come to a complete halt, staring at the windfall with nothing but pure amazement on his face.

"There's ink in here." Bendy's voice might have been difficult to hear given how hushed it was, almost as though the devil worried that the sight would vanish if he commented on it. Boris caught it just fine though, even in his addled state. Albeit, it just confused him as he tried to figure out what was so special about there being ink in some nook.

"There's ink everywhere though." The wolf whined back, not understanding before Bendy seized an inkwell out of the confines of the drawer, lifting it high for the taller toon to see.

"No, Boris, inkwells! There's gotta be at least ten of 'em in here!" Bendy quickly turned back to the drawer as he attempted to grab as many as he could. Given that the little devil's hands weren't exactly enormous, it was only about three, but the enthusiasm hardly faded as Bendy kept talking. "We can't carry 'em all with us but that's fine, we can use some'a these now!"

Bendy quickly whirled back to the cot, stumbling a little due to his injuries but never letting the smile fall from his face. Boris's expression slipped into a shadow of the incredulity that the little devil had been wearing just a moment ago, staring at the inkwells Bendy was bringing as though he didn't believe them to be real.

"How…y'sure they're all good?"

The question did put a damper on Bendy's enthusiasm for a brief moment, the little devil setting down two inkwells, so he could crack open the third. It was almost strange how the sight of the familiar black liquid sloshing around inspired such complete elation, especially after everything they'd been through, but somehow Bendy was managing it.

"…Yeah, I think they're all good. None'a 'em are empty or anythin'."

"Is, are there bandages in there?" Boris suddenly asked, the question catching Bendy off-guard for a moment before he looked down at the tiny devil still clinging to Boris, eyes still obscured by leaking ink, the message getting across loud and clear.

"Well, there's some blankets in here. We can tear 'em up t'make bandages, like y'did with these." Bendy mentioned, turning back to the desk drawers as he indicated the bandages still wrapped around his head and the rest of his frame. He grabbed the top blanket, feeling out the material before bringing it back over to the cot just in time to hear Boris quietly murmur.

"It'll be alright, Buddy, we're just gonna clean up your face. We'll be real careful, promise. It's, it's just not good t'have your ink leakin' like that."

The tiny toon did seem to understand, though even the small sounds of Bendy coming back with the blanket was enough to make Buddy jump, peering in the direction that the noises were coming from. Not that Bendy was sure how much Buddy could even make out with his face looking the way it was…

"It's okay, it's just Bendy. Thanks, Ben." Boris took the blanket from the little devil's hands before tearing off a piece about the size of a handkerchief. The wolf was about to say something to Buddy, probably a warning that he was about to start cleaning the tiny toon's face, before Bendy jumped back in. It hadn't escaped his notice, after all, that Boris was still looking uncomfortably unwell. If Buddy was injured, it might be a better idea to let someone with steadier hands do the work.

"Boris, it's okay, lemme do it." Bendy murmured, the taller toon looking dazedly confused for a moment before relinquishing the cloth. "Just take a break for a minute, pal. It'll be fine."

"…okay." The wolf mumbled, settling back against the wall as he watched the proceedings with half-lidded eyes. Trying to at least put on an air of emboldened confidence, Bendy turned his attention to the minute devil.

"Alright, Buddy, just hold still for a minute, okay? I'm just gonna clean up your face." Bendy waited for Buddy to give a nod, hopefully understanding what he was about to do before reaching down to hold the tiny toon's face still as he rubbed the cloth over the ink-covered portion of the pale features. Though Bendy was trying to be as careful as possible, he couldn't help but notice how Buddy flinched and stiffened under the cloth, a faint, barely-there noise like a garbled whine squeaking out.

"'m sorry, kid, 'm sorry. I-'m almost done, Bud, almost-."

Boris snapped back into the moment once Bendy cut off, growing worried at the nakedly aghast look on the little devil's features. Craning down to see the minute toon's face, the wolf felt his own expression tense in similar horror, a gasp catching in his throat.

With the ink cleared away, Buddy's eyes could now be seen, except, judging from the fact that they were sightless, notched pale orbs rather than the usual dark pie-cut pupils, it was unlikely that the minute devil himself could do much seeing. There was also a tiny tuft of hair or fur somewhat matted to the ink-streaked forehead, the ink itself seeming to come in part from a collection of small but deep cuts all around the top of the tiny toon's face, particularly around his eyes. Even though he felt frozen by the development, Bendy's mind raced. How had this happened? Why? Buddy seemed intelligent, definitely enough that he couldn't be mistaken for some monster…unless…this had been done on purpose?!

"Oh, Buddy…" Boris suddenly whined from overhead, both devils looking up at the wolf to see that the taller toon's ink-shot eyes were growing wet, a hand having come up to rest on his chest, over his scar. As Buddy moved, Bendy only just noticed that the tiny toon's frame was shaking, though whether it was from fear or pain he couldn't tell. Not that he had anything to worry about from Boris, as the wolf's only inclination was to carefully reach around with his unoccupied arm, at first looking as though he'd like to rest it on Buddy's head before thinking better of it and lightly placing his hand on the minute devil's back, gently rubbing his thumb across the comparatively tiny shoulder blades. The gesture did seem to calm Buddy somewhat, though the miniscule frame still shook slightly even under Boris's careful hand. He also seemed more than a little unnerved by the strange pause gripping the room, the ink-streaked face flipping back and forth between both toons' general directions.

Eventually, Bendy just opted to take pity on the miniature devil, raising a hand to wave it in front of the notched white orbs.

"…Buddy, can you…see?" The little devil croaked, a thought entering his mind at that moment as he stared at the pale face and features so much like his own. He couldn't help but wonder, had these wounds been meant for him?

Buddy, for his part, appeared to stare in Bendy's direction for a second before sort of tilting his head as though he wasn't sure whether to give a direct yes or no.

"…Sort of?" Bendy guessed, finding he had hit the nail on the head when the tiny toon gave a halting nod. It also drew Bendy's eyes to the fact that the wounds, as well as some spots on Buddy's browline were starting to weep ink again. The development was something that Boris noticed too, given that the wolf shakily moved to rip off another strip of the linen.

"Alright, kid, it's gonna be fine. Boris is gonna patch you up, an' we'll give you some ink so you'll stop leakin' everywhere, okay?" At Buddy's eventual nod, Bendy felt something relax a little in his stomach, feeling bolstered by his own directions. Ink would have to do something, right? Maybe, maybe the cuts weren't open long and that's why they were still leaking everywhere! Yeah, then if that was the case, then ink would patch most of it up and they could maybe, hopefully, save Buddy's eyes.

It was something to shoot for, at least.

"Lemme know if this is too tight, Buddy, alright?" Boris asked as he wound the strip of linen around the tiny toon's head as gently as he could. At a replying nod, the wolf continued, drawing back once he was done. Buddy silently reached up to feel at the bandage, padding lightly with his mitten gloves. Another nod of a response passed before Bendy thought of something.

"Hey, kid. Next time when you wanna tell us that somethin's alright, then do this." The little devil instructed, gently taking hold of the tiny toon's mitten hand before shaping it into an approximation of a thumbs-up. "See? Easy, right?"

Buddy gave another nod, nonexistent gaze pointed wonderingly in the direction of this new lesson, his other hand feeling out the exact shape of the gesture.

"'Xactly. Now, Bud, here's some ink. Drink it all down, alright?" The inkwell Bendy opened found its way into Buddy's hands, the tiny toon feeling around for a moment before he located the top and steered it towards his mouth. Once the entire thing had been emptied, Buddy was already starting to sway, Boris quickly looping his hand around behind the minute devil so he wouldn't simply flop backwards. Gently easing him down onto the cot, the wolf covered the tiny frame in what was left of the linen blanket before turning to Bendy.

"Gotta change your bandages too, Ben. At least that one." The taller toon pointed at the still-displaced bit of cloth on Bendy's head, the little devil glancing up at the indicated spot before giving a conceding sigh.

"Alright, pal. But then we're gettin' some ink into you."

"An' you." Boris shot back, stubbornness clear despite the apparent drain on his own energy and demeanor, the wolf even punctuating the declaration by crossing his arms and staring the smaller toon down.

"Alright, alright. Not fightin' you on that, pal. We'll all take a break." Boris's expression softened at Bendy's words, a faint smile starting to form in its place. After Bendy got another blanket out of the drawer, the wolf quickly got to work, doing his best to tear off strips and replace what was dirtied or askew. Bendy bore it all with good grace, keeping in any vocalizations of pain so as not to wake Buddy, or upset Boris. Eventually, the little devil was rebound, feeling very much like one of those mummies he'd always heard about from far-off deserts. Just as the wolf was handing him another inkwell and draping his coat on the edge of the cot, Bendy realized that Boris had yet to take one for himself.

"Hey." Bendy not-quite-snapped, though the tone was sharp enough that it got the taller toon's attention. The somewhat belated jerk that Boris made as he started just solidified in Bendy's mind that he was doing the right thing; the wolf was definitely not at his best. "You gotta get one too, pal. You're restin' too."

"…Alright." Boris sighed out after a moment, grabbing another inkwell and coming back over to the cot with a supply of at least four. After each drank down two, the pair muzzily moved about with getting bedded down, both making sure that they would not accidentally roll over and crush Buddy while sleeping. However, strangely enough, Boris seemed to run out of energy first, the wolf lying back on the cot to stare at the ceiling with glassy eyes. Seizing the moment, Bendy placed one hand on the taller toon's forehead, the other resting on his own as best he could without messing up his bandages.

"…Ben?" Boris dully asked, before seeming to clue into what exactly the little devil was trying to check. Not that it was very hard, as there was definitely a temperature radiating from under the wolf's fur. "'m doin' okay, Ben. Don' worry."

"You're runnin' a fever, pal, I think worryin's gonna happen anyway." Bendy lightly jibed back with Boris finding that he had no answer, due to both a lack of imagination and the fact that he was nearly asleep.

"…Sorry…" The wolf breathed before finally slipping off to slumber, Bendy only managing to stay awake for a few moments more before he too dropped off. It was a little cramped on the cot, between him, Boris, and now Buddy, but they managed, the closeness settling in as a shield against what lay in the studio beyond.

* * *

 _He wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but he knew that he needed to hurry. The halls seemed to wind and twist around him, the wolf's feet flying over the floor as he kept running. Vague memories blossomed in his mind, of voices, maybe Wally or Sammy saying things like 'accident' and 'acetone', things like 'Joey's office', but that was bad, that was really bad, because…because…_

 _The specifics weren't clear, but Boris knew that whatever the reason he needed to hurry. Even though there was something in his mind that said that no, Bendy was fine, the acetone had grazed him but it hadn't left serious burns. But how could he know that…?_

 _The wolf nearly skidded on the floor in front of the familiar wooden door, reaching out to grab the knob—no, no that wasn't right, he had knocked back then- and pulled the door open._

 _Like a stench sealed inside for a decade, the image that met the wolf knocked him reeling. Instead of the usual desk and chair, the room was instead occupied by a familiar slab, except it wasn't the wolf lying there, it was a familiar little devil, frame partially melted and eviscerated, silent and still with pale white eyes staring blankly out at the wolf. For some reason, the scream beating at the inside of his throat wouldn't escape, the sight emblazoned on the backs of his eyelids even as he blinked. Boris's hands nearly vibrated as they pressed to his mouth and wrapped across his front, tears cascading down his face in lieu of the cries that just wouldn't come. Eventually, something managed to unstick enough for a name to slip out, with barely any hint of a voice behind it._

 _"…Ben?"_

 _But the devil wasn't going to answer, he couldn't, because he was-._

 _A hand landed on the wolf's shoulder, making him jump with a shrill yelp. His neck snapped to look, eyes blowing wide and breath stammering in his chest at the sight of a familiar figure leaning on a cane, dark hair partially hanging in his eyes. From behind a pair of spectacles, Boris could see the calm, considering dark gaze, right before Joey Drew flipped the wolf onto his back with a strength that he should not have been able to have._

 _Choking back a cry, Boris stared up at his creator, an odd green miasma appearing around them as his muscles locked up, the taller toon's outward reactions tapering off. He couldn't move, he couldn't cry out, he could barely react with more than a slow, rhythmic blinking of his eyes as glints of metal appeared in his vision, descending on him like a flock of ravenous birds. After a moment of cutting and pulling and prying Boris could see white where there should be black, feeling as though his frame was too long, too unwieldy, that something was wrong, something wasn't right, what was wrong with him-?!_

 _And, above him, Joey's eyes were starting to ooze something dark and gloopy, his face pulling into a leering grin as his hair started to draw up into two distinct points. Before he realized it, Boris managed to raise his hand to try to shield himself, and was surprised to see dark points starting to come through the fingertips of his white gloves. A hand closed around the wolf's wrist, pulling the sight from his attention, and riveting his eyes to the fact that Joey's face was nothing more than a mass of ink, the light glimmering oddly over the dark slime._

" _ **I will not allow you to die**_ _." The words were Joey's, but the tone was strange. It echoed, distorted by an odd timbre of rumbling and chittering, though the same complete certainty thundered through along with the odd power. As Boris watched, the face came closer and closer to his own, the ink starting to drip down-._

-Causing the wolf to jolt with a gasp, the cot rattling under him as he bolted into a groggy wakefulness. As an answering groan rang out from the space next to him, Boris nearly ripped the blanket as he pulled it away, a hand shakily patting at his front before the feel of solid fur and skin registered.

"Bor's…?" The bleary voice coupled with a hand pressing to the wolf's forehead made Boris jerk anew, right before he registered the uncomfortable heat roiling through him, nearly fit to make him broil under his fur. The hand itself was downright cool by comparison, Boris instinctively leaning into the touch for a moment before he realized who it was; Bendy. As the wolf stared up at his friend's face, the image from his nightmare flooded back, of Bendy silent and still, eyes like white portholes as they sightlessly stared at him, almost accusing, asking _why didn't you stop him, why didn't you listen, why didn't you trust me_?

"Boris? What's wrong?" Bendy spoke again, voice clearer as alarm started to filter through, Boris only then realizing that tears had started to slide down his face, his frame becoming wracked with sobs as he reached out and pulled the little devil closer to him. There was an odd garble of noise that the wolf's ears didn't quite process, some of it seemed to be coming from him, but for the moment he was entirely caught up with the overwhelming tide of recriminating sorrow, the should-haves and whys swirling about his brain along with the memories of sightless eyes, malformed and torn apart inky frames, and strange, distorted voices.

Even though his body felt like it was in the middle of a full-scale meltdown, the wolf could feel a familiar set of hands resting on his shoulder and trying to comfort him as best they could. There was also another set of hands, less familiar and much smaller, patting at his arm.

The sensation was so confusing that Boris drew back for a moment, looking down to see where the extra hands were coming from. Along with the still-concerned features of Bendy, the wolf also found that Buddy had somehow gotten tucked up against him, the tiny devil patting at his arm in a groggily comforting way despite being only partially awake.

"Boris, it's okay." Bendy suddenly said in the quiet, the wolf dazedly looking to the smaller toon as Bendy reached over and carded a hand through the wolf's head fur. For a moment Boris was entirely thrown by the words, until he realized that he could feel the dried tear tracks on his face and remembered how and why he'd burst into tears. "It's alright, pal, 's just a nightmare. I'm here, okay? I'm not goin' anywhere, an' you're okay, alright? You're gonna be okay."

That, that seemed nice, and even in his feverishly addled state Boris knew that Bendy wouldn't lie to him about something like that. It did make him feel better, a little less brittle and a little less broken. The fact that both Bendy and Buddy were present was also a balm to the wolf's soul, Boris letting himself soak into the feeling of lying on the cot, Buddy's mitten-glove resting on one of his arms as the tiny devil slept, and Bendy's hand still kneading at his head as his friend continued to whisper reassurances. The gentle noise and touches were sensations that the wolf clung to as he slid off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

With Boris dropping off, Bendy found himself the only one awake, sitting up at the head of the cot with Boris's head practically in his lap. He felt like he couldn't do much else, with the newly-named Buddy so visibly vulnerable and Boris…affected in this sort of a way. Like if he stayed awake, he could keep the trouble all away, even as it pounded relentlessly on the metaphorical doors of this calm.

…Well, at least Boris's temperature seemed to be going down. It was one of the two miracles that the little devil could say he was thankful for, the other being that nothing seemed primed to find them in here (was it because of the machine outside?). Buddy was a whole different conundrum right now, though Bendy could say that for the moment he felt confident that he wasn't regretting leaving the tiny toon in that circle. The state of Buddy's eyes though, now that was a whole different ballgame entirely. Given that most of the ink creatures would vanish once killed, Bendy could figure that the minute devil was probably a step up from those, more like him and Boris (even though there was only so much that could be gleaned from someone whom he hadn't heard talk yet), and that what was done to Buddy's eyes had been-.

Bendy cut himself off, fingers stilling in their absent motions ruffling Boris's head fur, the parallel between what he had been thinking and actual events that had played out to at least one of the toons he was next to. What happened to Boris had been a calculated show of force, with clear purpose in mind though Bendy could safely say that he wasn't sure he would, or would want to, learn why it had been done. If he was going to guess, though, the little devil would ruminate that it seemed like someone had just wanted to, to cut the wolf open, see how he worked on the inside, 'Alice's later forays notwithstanding. Perhaps it could have been the same for Buddy?

A calculated show of force, for a purpose that wasn't clear but could be guessed at, perhaps for the purpose of seeing how a certain part worked. Or maybe the point had been just to see what would happen. What it didn't explain was why Buddy had been in that circle. Unless that had been part of some test too, Bendy wasn't sure he'd put it past this place.

Heck, the fact that Buddy existed at all was something to process, as to Bendy's admittedly limited and probably out of date knowledge, there had been no other toons apart from himself, Boris, Alice, and the Butcher Gang. Where was Buddy supposed to fit into things at the studio?

Granted the fact that the minute devil, despite the differences in design, definitely resembled Bendy gave him a possibility to go on. And, given that as far as Bendy knew Joey had been the only one to make toons, the entire line of thought left a sour taste in his mouth. Had the studio head tried to…replace him? With a toon that he then mutilated? What the heck had he been thinking?!

Well either way, come hell or high water, Bendy knew that he and Boris definitely had to get out of here, along with Buddy. He could figure this out when they weren't running for their lives in this godforsaken mess of a studio.

* * *

An hour or so later, Boris started to shift as sleep ebbed, though he couldn't help but wonder as to why he could hear someone snoring above his head. Blinking pie-cut eyes open, the wolf's expression furrowed at the sight of Bendy, slumbering away while having propped himself up against the wall, a hand still resting on the wolf's head. Easing himself out, Boris sat up, stretching a faint stiffness out of his arms and back as he took stock. He hadn't exactly had the presence of mind to notice much more than the cot, and now with a clear head he couldn't help but try to pick out some details.

Namely how strangely homey the space was, even with the boxes tucked away on one side. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Boris pushed himself up, doing his best to avoid shaking the cot and waking up the other two toons. Glancing back, the wolf frowned at the sight of the uncomfortable sleeping position Bendy was in, turning back to carefully try to ease the little devil to lie down onto the cot. Though the smaller toon gave a groggy fidget or two at the handling, Boris was able to settle Bendy down before covering the little devil up with one of the blankets. That taken care of, the wolf turned to look back out to the room, going over to check the desk himself. Bendy had left the drawer open, the inkwells still gleaming in the glow from the emergency lights. There were five left over, hadn't Bendy said there were ten before?

They'd have to be careful with these, goodness only knew when they'd find more…

Nudging the inkwells out of sight, Boris turned to another drawer on the lower part of the desk, pulling it open to reveal the somewhat diminished store of blankets. Digging a little more, the wolf found that tucked under the cloth was a quartet of bacon soup cans, the windfall causing a smile to blossom over the canid face. He couldn't say he was hungry, exactly, but it had definitely been a while since he'd last eaten. Heck, while he knew it had been a while since Bendy and himself had eaten, he had no idea how long it had been for Buddy.

Maybe food would help the tiny devil in some way? It was worth a shot, for sure.

"Bor's?" And, well, speak of a devil, the wolf thought as he looked over to the cot just in time to see Bendy dozily sitting up, trying to both stretch and rub at one of his eyes at the same time. The resulting maneuver was a sort of interesting-to-watch mishmash of the two actions, Boris unable to keep the faint grin from growing at the sheer comedy of the smaller toon's conflicting impulses.

"I'm over here, Ben. Y'feelin' better?"

"'ll let you know in a minute." The little devil mumbled in answer, nearly ready to shuffle himself to the floor before he remembered Buddy, who was still asleep on the cot.

…At least, Boris hoped the minute toon was asleep.

A faint worry started to brew in his mind as the wolf left the soup cans atop of the desk, coming back over to the cot to check on the tiny devil. Bendy, for his part, merely looked confused until it became clear what Boris was doing. Just as the wolf reached down to press a few fingers to Buddy's comparatively tiny forehead, the faint touch made the minute devil spring clumsily to life with a breathy gasp and a renewed bout of trembling. Though the initial reaction made both Bendy and Boris reel back, the wolf quickly sought to calm down Buddy, doing his best to keep his voice hushed and soothing despite his own nerves.

"Buddy? It's okay, Bud, 's just me, it's Boris."

Though Bendy wanted to say something, he kept quiet with the thought in mind that Buddy probably wouldn't be reassured by multiple people speaking up at once. Either way, it seemed like Boris's voice was calming the tiny devil down somewhat, the shakes stopping and the raspy breathing easing down into something more regular.

"Y'alright, Buddy?" The wolf asked, ducking down to look the minute toon in the eye even though it would be a one-sided gesture. At the answering nod, Boris found he had another question. "How're…your eyes feelin'?"

This one caused a little more activity, as Buddy quickly reached up to pat at the bandage covering the upper half of his face. Albeit it did not seem as though there was any change given the tiny devil's eventual shake of the head, something that Bendy could honestly say didn't surprise him. It was disheartening, to say the least, but it didn't surprise him. Luckily for Boris, Buddy's injury prevented him from seeing the emotions that flashed across the wolf's face, ranging from shock to a nearly verbal exclamation before Bendy waved to get the taller toon's attention, making a 'calm down' gesture before speaking.

"It might just be too old for ink t'fix it. It's okay, we'll do the lookin' for you, Bud. Boris here's already had plenty'a practice keepin' folks smaller than him out of trouble."

The reminder of better, simpler times did tease a smile from the wolf's face, though it was edged in a teary brittleness that Bendy hated to see. Buddy, for his part, simply looked back and forth between the pair, or where their voices were coming from anyway, before nodding his ascent.

"Alright." Bendy continued. "That bein' settled, we still gotta get outta here."

"But, I don' know where we are, Ben. I got us lost, remember?"

"Yeah, but we're not gonna make any headway on fixin' that sittin' in here. An' from what I've been seein' so far, the only way to avoid most trouble is to keep movin'. We nearly got snuck up on in that last room." The little devil pointed out, Boris giving a nod at the observation and recap of what had happened to their last 'safehouse'. "I'll carry th' ink in my jacket again, look around for anythin' we can use t'keep any monsters off'a us."

"…Okay." Boris replied before he glanced over at the desk and remembered his own discovery. "Ben, I did find some more soup. Did'ja want t'have it now or just carry it with us?"

"Well, we haven't exactly had shortages of it. It's kinda everywhere." The smaller toon mumbled as he moved away from the cot, before a tiny bit of motion drew his attention back to the last member of their party, who had been silently listening to the proceedings thus far. "Y'gettin' hungry, Bud? Y'wanna maybe have some soup now?"

Out of all of the responses Bendy was hoping to get, a tilted head and a somehow eyeless version of a quizzical stare wasn't one of them.

"Y'never had soup b'fore, Buddy?" Boris asked, picking up on the tiny toon's confused expressions and mirroring it with one of his own.

"D'ya wanna try some?" Bendy asked, grabbing one of the cans off the desk. It wasn't as if he didn't have to come back over there for his jacket anyway…

The tiny toon glanced in Boris's direction before turning his head to Bendy and giving a hesitant nod. Though Buddy jumped a little at the sound of Bendy cracking open the metal can, the minute devil's gloves carefully took hold of it before he tried to sip at it like a soft drink. Bendy couldn't help a slight snicker as Buddy nearly recoiled from the gloopy stuff at first, choking it back as Boris threw him a look. Not that it took the tiny devil too long to recover, Buddy taking a few more prepared swigs as Bendy threw on his coat and headed back over to the desk to get the inkwells.

As Bendy tore up strips of the remaining blankets to cushion the glass bottles, he noticed Buddy try to offer the partially finished can to Boris, the wolf not having the heart to turn the tiny devil down and taking it with an entirely earnest thank you.

By the time Bendy had managed to properly situate the inkwells the soup had been devoured, Boris looking up to see that the desk now only had soup cans.

"I'll carry those, Ben."

The little devil looked up in semi-confusion at the statement, before he glanced over at the remaining trio of cans and it clicked. Turning a somewhat humored if worn smile to the wolf, Bendy responded,

"Yeah, probably best if y'do, pal. Don't think I got any more room."

Smiling in return, the taller toon got to his feet and came over, leaving Buddy alone on the cot. The tiny devil peered blindly around, Bendy noticing the sight and coming over as Buddy started trying to levy himself down from the cot. At a jolt from the minute devil, probably at the sound of footsteps coming near, Bendy quickly realized that he should probably say something.

"It's okay, kid, just me. Want some help?"

There was a belated beat of silence before Buddy gave a nod and a shaky thumbs-up, pushing himself away from the cot in Bendy's direction and feeling about. Not that the smaller toon had any inclination to make the endeavor difficult, quickly reaching out to steer Buddy to his side. Going a little slower than before, the little devil made his way back to the desk with the tiny toon in tow, Boris watching with a slightly somber look as he shoved the soup cans into his pockets.

It was one of those moments where two people didn't have to say anything, a singular thought leaping between gazes like an electric current. With it came a steeling effect, the thought that while the pair had survived the warped angel once, there was no guarantee she wasn't still out there and that they wouldn't meet up again. Not to mention the walking ink and the black and white ink monster.

The risks firmly in mind, the pair left the office, heading down the stairs and stopping at the door to the room with the ink machine. It only struck Bendy right then and there that the noise had died back down to a steadier rumble, the earlier roar completely gone.

It didn't stop the trio from hurrying as fast as they could through the room, Boris even picking up a suddenly lagging Buddy to hold to him as they went. The tiny toon seemed a little confused by the change, though thankfully didn't fidget overmuch. Getting back out to the corridor only left them with one way to go, Bendy hurrying along while reaching back to grab Boris's hand just to be sure that he wouldn't lose the wolf. Funnily enough the next corridor was a similar sort of scene, with the trio being in the far back end of it, and no sign of any monsters.

The reminder made Bendy grit his teeth, as he'd completely forgotten to ask Boris if he'd noticed anything back in the safe room that they could have used as a weapon. Granted, if the wolf hadn't said anything, it was likely that there simply wasn't anything. Not to mention it was a little hard to go back and rectify that now, Bendy instead reluctantly dropping the thought before focusing on how to move forward. From what he remembered, Boris had taken a left off the hallway that had the office they'd been in, but the question was, did they really want to go back that way? Especially if the 'walking ink' was lying in wait…

But, even still, they did seem to be heading somewhere, the hallway starting to look just a little bit bigger, the wooden design streamlined into something more industrial-looking, Bendy picking out metal design supports bordering the corners where the walls and the ceiling met. It was leading down to what looked like a bigger room, a room with a lot of steam and dripping ink…

Boris seemed to key into what exactly they were looking at before the devil did, though Bendy had to say that in his defense, he had been fairly concussed the last time they'd been in here. In front of them lay the twisted wreck of the elevator, ringed by ink dripping from the ceiling, the trio treading lightly as they entered the room. The fact that Bendy could feel cold ink dripping on his head made him long for his hat though they quickly left the elevator behind, Boris notably relaxing as they took the only other hall leading out of the room, the door bordered on the right by a sign that declared this to be Level S. Two things struck Bendy as he walked, one being that this had to have been the hall that they'd seen 'Alice' walking down, and that there had been a lack of any sign regarding how the fight between the warped angel and the black and white ink monster had gone. Maybe one of them lost and melted away? Or perhaps it had been a stalemate? Glancing back at the room didn't yield any clues, a quick look down revealing more ink, but had that been from when the monochrome monster had flown into the room? It did seem mostly dry, though they'd been in that part of Level S for a while. Probably long enough that anything crawling away from the brawl they'd left behind had a while to lick their wounds and regroup.

Meaning they might have to deal with either or both. Joy.

"Ben?" Boris quietly murmured as they continued down the hallway, the little devil looking up and blinking in confusion at the questioning stare the taller toon was aiming at him. He didn't realize why Boris might be looking at him like that until it occurred to Bendy how much his expression had soured while he was thinking on their prospects. While he had to admit that it was important that Boris have some idea as to what they might be facing ahead, he didn't want to stop their press forward to bring it up in detail, instead deciding to abridge a little.

"Think we might have company up ahead somewhere. Keep an eye out." The devil whispered, pointing down at the ink trail on the floor. Peering downward, Boris gave the sight a nod before heading on, Buddy unknowingly mimicking the movement even though the tiny toon couldn't really see much of anything. The hallway remained silent, but the thought of something leaping out of the woodwork made them cautious as they came to a junction, the hall splitting to go to the left and the right. In front of them was a sign, indicating that someplace called the 'Archives J-L' was to the left, with 'Finances' and a name, Grant Cohen, heading to the right. With Boris glancing to him, Bendy made the call that seeing as they could actually see where the left-hand corridor ended up they might as well try that. However, one roadblock came in the form of the fact that there was no way to get the door open.

"Oh, c'mon…"

"Y'sure this is a door, Ben?" Boris asked, the question putting Bendy's irritation on hold for a moment as he juggled figuring out the obstacle ahead and trying to explain.

"Yeah, it's like a vault or a door on a submarine. There should be a wheel in the middle that opens it."

"Like in that book?"

"…Which book?" Bendy absently asked as he looked at the empty socket where the wheel should have been. It didn't look broken, maybe they just had to find the wheel?

"Th' one with the numbers in th' title. Where a guy ended up on a submarine an' talked t'th' captain, an' he had a weird name that meant somethin'."

"Wait, 20,000 Leagues?"

"Yeah, that was it!" Boris responded, pointing at Bendy as though the little devil had physically brought up the title. 'Looking' between the two was Buddy, the tiny toon not really understanding what precisely was being said but eager to listen.

"Yep. Anyway, if we can't find the wheel maybe we gotta find somethin' t'trip th' mechanisms inside. It's worth a shot." Bendy thought aloud, peering about the nook, even darting a few steps back to examine a chest of drawers simply tucked up against the wall. Seriously, why was that even there…?

"Alright. Would it be lookin' like one'a th' valves maybe?" Boris asked, shifting Buddy in his arms as he followed Bendy's lead.

"Probably somethin' like that, maybe a lil' darker. It might match with th' rest'a th' door." Bendy replied, throwing a glance down in the direction of where the elevator had been before deciding that the wrecked room would be a last resort. There was, after all, an entirely different hallway standing right in front of him. With Boris close behind, the little devil rounded the corner and immediately paused at the sight of a cutout leaning against what looked like a dead end with a door on either side.

"Bendy?" Boris whispered, one of the wolf's hands closing over the shoulder of the smaller toon's jacket. The little devil couldn't tell if Boris was being quiet because he thought something would happen, or just simply the connotations the thing had following their earlier experiences. Either way, he needed to answer.

"It's alright, pal. Just don't mess with it. Let's try both'a these rooms."

The door to the left was locked. The door to the right opened with ease. However, given what they found on the other side, Bendy almost wished it hadn't. The first thing that they saw was the writing on the walls, the most visible word of the lot being 'MONEY' scrawled over and over. It was interlaid with other phrases, Bendy able to make out things like 'TIME IS MONEY' and random jumblings of numbers here and there. Briefly, the smaller toon's eyes cut to the sign on the side of the door next to the wall; MANAGEMENT.

This was Grant Cohen's, the guy who took care of the financial side of the studio. This office had been where he worked. And, at the moment, it looked like an utter mess. An utterly insane mess.

Insane being the operative term considering the scribblings on the walls. Peering about the room Bendy's first focus was on the part where the wall had been broken in, thinking that it would be a perfect place for someone to hide if they wanted to get the drop on the trio. Thankfully, the space was pretty much occupied by a pipe, also drawing Bendy's attention to the fact that the floor was made of dirt, the earthen surface stretching out to the other side of the room. Among all the brown he caught a glint of something metallic, tucked away in between the pipe and what looked like a rock. It wasn't stuck, the little devil easily able to reach in and pull it out.

And, better yet, it looked like a dead ringer for the wheel that should be in the door down the other hall. Bendy turned around with a smile at his luck to tell Boris the good news, just as the wolf curiously pressed the play button for a cassette deck sitting atop a desk against the wall, partly in a bubbling puddle of ink.

The noise that erupted from the aged recording made all three toons jump, Boris ripping his hand away and taking a few steps back as though he had been burned. There were no words, only sounds of a scuffle, things crashing, glass breaking, with the underlying cries and gags of a man that sounded as though he may have been fighting for his life. With what though, wasn't clear.

Until the last few seconds, as the noise cleared, a deep, gurgling rattle taking the place of the man's voice. The struggle died down entirely, the speakers filling with the dripping of ink. There was one final splat, like something putting its gloopy, heavy limb to the office floor, before the tape cut entirely.

The resounding silence hung like a tense shadow over the room, Bendy's eyes darting back to the writing on the walls as he tried to reconcile what he'd just heard with what he was seeing. Grant Cohen, it had to have been him in the tape, him turning into whatever it was he'd turned into. Some kind of ink creature for sure, an ink creature that could likely be on this very floor lying in wait somewhere for them to stumble upon.

It could have just been a trick of the acoustics in the creaking studio but for a half second Bendy thought that he could hear another noise, like faint whispers, beginning to filter into hearing, what they were saying indistinct, but it didn't matter because it almost reminded him of that night, thirty years ago, in Joey's office, of **moving darkness and ink with chittering noises and a sort of voice saying his name over and over and over-.**

With barely any thought but the instinctive knowledge that they were in danger here pounding through his head, Bendy quickly took the few steps across the room to Boris's side, grabbing the wolf's free hand and hurrying out of the wrecked office. Thankfully there was no resistance from the taller toon, Boris even matching Bendy's stride with ease. The trio left the other door alone, no desire to see what might lie behind it. As they were coming back around to the other hall, Bendy's eyes glanced down to the elevator, a brief thought crossing his mind as to if they would have been lucky enough that any ink monster could have been sitting in the shaft when the elevator came down. Then at least they wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. The little devil forced himself to let the thought go on the grounds that on one front, it felt wrong to think of someone who had been so gruesomely changed dying in such a manner, and on another, it didn't seem like they were bound to be that lucky.

Thankfully the wheel fit the axel on the door, so at least Bendy could say that something had come out of that…mess back there. It took the little devil a moment to realize he'd probably need both hands to actually turn the thing, as he didn't really have the leverage (or strength, not that he'd admit that) to move it more than a few inches.

The instant Bendy let go of Boris's hand, the wolf moved to grab the other side of the wheel and helped the devil to unlock the door. With a click of the mechanisms, the door swung inward, the pair hurrying over the threshold into the darkened space before the lights abruptly came on, the door swinging shut behind them.

The scene lit up before the trio made them shrink back, Bendy noting with extreme anxiety that there was no other wheel on the inside to let them back out. It left them cornered with the sight before them, of a stage in the center of the room with a Bendy statue in the back, and a collection of dark, inky-looking figures in various poses in front of the monolith. Some were kneeling, nearly shying away from it like the statue exuded some kind of physical force. Two of the figures were even holding onto each other in what looked like fear. Above them was a banner, spelling out ' **HE WILL SET US FREE** ' in black lettering.

It took Bendy a few moments to notice the sounds of some sort of lullaby, coming over what might've been speakers tucked away somewhere in the room. He also was starting to feel a constricting pressure on his coat-shrouded shoulder from how hard Boris was squeezing it. The realization made Bendy snap back into reality with the alacrity of someone having a bucket of cold water thrown in their face, his head spinning to look around at the wolf. Boris's eyes were focused on the display in front of them, expression fearful as his fingers nearly pulled the little devil back a few steps. Buddy too seemed to be noticing the tension, the tiny toon's head swiveling about before eventually just opting to pat at Boris's arms, pale face twisted in dread. Not that Bendy was idle either, reaching up to grab the wolf's hand while doing his best to hurry around the stage, all the while keeping his eyes on the strange figures prostrated around the statue bearing his likeness.

Despite their stillness, Bendy almost felt like if he did not watch them something would happen. Like they'd move or something, like in a horror picture. And, while it seemed a little strange to think of things in those terms, Bendy had to concede that one, he was a living cartoon character, and two, things in the studio had already gone above and beyond a natural and sane level of bad. Not that it made him any surer as to what he was looking at in regard to the figures and what they might be, but it did cement the idea that they had to get out of this area as quickly as possible.

That idea was somewhat hampered by the fact that the next room was nothing but a bunch of bookcases, ringing the wall with a smaller ring around a more private-looking little space. Which contained a cutout of all things, propped up against one of the bookcase walls. Interspersed between the shelves were vault doors, just big enough for Buddy to comfortably fit inside, most of them open and empty. Deciding to completely avoid interacting with the aforementioned cutout, Bendy rushed around the outer ring, skidding to a halt in front of what looked like a door with Boris nearly tripping over him.

"Sorry, pal, sorry." The little devil reflexively apologized, even as his insides sank as he noticed that there was no knob on the door. A push revealed that it certainly wasn't about to move either.

"…It's okay, Ben." The wolf wheezed, more than a little thrown off by all the sudden starts and stops. Buddy, who had been nearly balled up in the taller toon's arms, uncoiled a little at the somewhat more relaxed tone, listening in on the conversation. "Is it not openin'?"

"No, no it's not. Think it's locked 'r somethin', but there's no knob. I dunno how t'get this open." Bendy explained, feeling like he was edging close to babbling. However, at the explanation Boris looked thoughtful for a moment, before his eyes drifted to a spot on the bookshelf by his shins, where a book was sticking out. Partly acting on a whim, and perhaps a somewhat hazy flash of…something a little like the deja-vu from upstairs, Boris reached out to push it back in. A soft click at the top of the doorframe drew the toons' attention to a series of five lightbulbs crowning the top of the door, one having just lit up.

"Oh. Guessing that's how we get it open. Good call there, pal." If anything, Bendy was happy that someone was remaining calm, he wasn't sure he would have figured that out for a bit otherwise. While a part of him couldn't help but wonder if this was another case of Boris having…made it down here in some form or fashion, the little devil figured that it didn't really matter one way or the other. "From the looks of things there's about four more we gotta find."

The perhaps semi-logical thing to do would be to split up, as that would be the best way to cover the most ground and get this done faster, but with everything that had happened before, well, Bendy knew better than to bring that idea up.

Not to mention the little devil could see another book sticking out a little way behind Boris. Pointing it out, Bendy skirted around the wolf to push it in. The pair brightened marginally at the sight of another bulb lighting up, though as Buddy's head started to swivel about in askance at the lack of noise, Bendy figured they better at least let the tiny toon in on what was going on.

"'s okay, Bud. We just found a way outta here."

"Yeah, we're-." Boris started, before abruptly straightening up, ears perking as the wolf suddenly seemed to key into some sound that Bendy didn't, or perhaps couldn't hear.

"Boris, what's wrong?"

"I…" The taller toon started, before cutting himself off to listen again. "It sounds like there's somethin' big creakin', it kinda comes and goes but I keep hearin' it…"

Luckily for Bendy, his vantage point let him see into the inner circle of the Archives, and the sizeable lamp hanging from the ceiling.

"Maybe it's that?" The assumption seemed partly sound, at least, but even after checking, Boris didn't look too convinced. Buddy did seem to be 'looking' in that direction though…

"Maybe…"

While the lamp may or may not have been the source of the noises, it also drew Bendy's attention to a table in the center of the little circle, on which sat a few books, and another tapedeck. Granted, after the last Bendy wasn't really sure he wanted to listen to this one, but usually there was something worth hearing, like with Sammy's sanctuary. Maybe this one could give them a direction, maybe somewhere they could try to head to once they were out of here.

The low, feminine voice drifting from the speaker set a faint jolt of ice through the little devil's veins, given that it reminded him of another message he'd heard a while back, on Level 9.

" _They told me I was perfect for the role. Absolutely perfect. Now Joey's going around saying things behind closed doors. I can always tell. Now he wants to meet again tomorrow, says he has an 'opportunity' for me. I'll hear him out. But if that smooth talker thinks he can double cross an angel and get away with it, well, oh he's got another thing coming. Alice, ooh she doesn't like liars_."

Well, if there was any confirmation regarding what he'd already begun to suspect about 'Alice', the little devil figured that this might be it. Personally, Bendy thought the reason that Joey might have let Susie go was because of this equating herself with the real toon Alice, the one that he was pretty sure she had met at least several times. Not to mention the manner in which she was talking was bordering on creepy in and of itself.

But still, the studio head had invited her back for an opportunity, or so she said. Maybe that had been when…

"Ben?" Boris whispered, drawing the little devil back into the real world to peer over at the wolf.

"Sorry, pal, I…I thought there might be somethin'…"

"It's okay, Bendy. It's…" Conflict briefly warred over the canid features before Boris simply decided to have out with whatever was on his mind. "She sounded sad, when, with th' one in th' room, where we got separated, when she was talkin' about how she lost her, her role t'Allison. I just…I wouldn'a thought she'd…that she'd do…"

Though Bendy couldn't be sure whether or not the wolf was referring to the apparent multiple run-ins he'd had with the warped angel, or just what she'd become overall, the little devil immediately moved to step in, maybe to alleviate at least some of this mess.

"Boris, it wasn'…sometimes y'just don't know what'll set somebody off…" It was something Bendy himself knew all too well, given how he'd occasionally run into someone on the street driven there by more than just lack of physical necessities. Given that he was already on alert when it came to guarding himself from other people, he quickly learned to read what he could about a person just on sight, which did help him avoid some situations that could have turned messy.

Still while the thought might be helpful with Susie's situation that was a passing issue, the more immediate one still being how they were going to get out of this room. And they had a much bigger space to look for books in, though Bendy quickly spotted another book on the lower shelf and moved to push it in.

The moment it slid into place, a tingle ran through the little devil's frame, causing him to jerk upright just in time to feel the room start to shake under his feet. Looking up, Bendy could see the chandelier swinging dangerously around, the various safe doors clattering and slamming in a disorientating cacophony. And, rising above it all was a shrill, piercing scream. It sounded familiar, though as the devil turned to see where it was coming from, his eyes landed on the cutout that had been sitting up against the shelf.

Only, it didn't look like a cutout anymore. Though the lights were moving and flickering, with the shaking and flashing blending into a whirling havoc, Bendy could see the now-three-dimensional figure standing in front of the bookcase, looking as though it had stepped out of a mirror. Unlike him though, it was smiling a big, too-wide smile, its eyes enormous and too dark as ink dribbled from them like tears. Just then, Bendy caught a new sound that came in lower than all the rest, a strange sort of whispering, chittering, his name being murmured over and over by what sounded like a thousand voices, **Bendy Bendy Bendy-.**

-Causing Bendy to snap out of his daze with a gasp. The little devil's lungs working overtime for air as his eyes stared at the cutout, now back to its smiling, two-dimensional normalcy. A thud ringing out from behind made Bendy leap nearly a foot in the air as he spun about and felt his heart jolt to his nonexistent throat for a completely different reason. Boris had toppled over and was lying flat on his back on the floor, eyes closed and unmoving.

Buddy, who had been set down on the table, was also fearfully staring down at Boris, or more likely where the sound of him falling had come from, before trying to clamber down off his perch.

"Bud, Bud here, lemme-." Bendy nearly gibbered, hurrying over and helping the tiny devil the rest of the way down to the floor before kneeling next to Boris. The wolf was completely insensate, face flushed grey and breath coming in shallow pants. When Bendy reached over to get a closer look at the canid face, he felt heat burning through the skin under the fur coat.

Fever. Boris was running another fever. He had to bring it down somehow. The wolf couldn't drink ink like this, but maybe there was something, something cool somewhere that he could use-.

"Stay with him, Bud. I'll be back in a minute." Bendy ordered, voice relatively calm and sure despite the panic reverberating through him in time with his racing heartbeat. Dashing out of the circle of shelves, the little devil peered about before running out into the other room. There had to be something, like a towel, or some dripping water, something cool that he-.

It wasn't until Bendy had run entirely past the stage that he noticed the change, though he halted both his movements and thoughts as he turned and stared at the display head on, still lit up with spotlights, and still containing a horribly familiar statue of himself. The only major difference was that the lanky, ink-covered figures that he was pretty sure weren't initially statues, were gone.

Bendy's head nearly revolved entirely off of his neckless body with the speed he moved to look, peering in every direction for some sign as to what had happened, including towards the ceiling. But there was nothing, no sign as to what could have transpired, nor where they could have gone. It was about then that the little devil decided that rationality was entirely overrated and decided to follow his instincts, which entailed running straight back to where Boris and Buddy were. It was only through a faint modicum of self-restraint that Bendy didn't start screaming as he went.

Buddy 'looked' up at the sound of Bendy's shoes squealing on the floor as he slid to a halt, crashing into a kneel next to Boris's prone form. For the moment, the smaller toon completely ignored the tiny devil, focusing his attention on the wolf.

"Boris, Boris, pal, we need t'get up, we need t'get outta here, please, get up, we need t'go an' I'm not leavin' without you but we really need t'go-." In retrospect, Bendy knew that he was babbling and probably sounded like he was a few skips away from some land of insanity, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he carded through the fur on the wolf's head with one hand, shaking the lanky toon's shoulder with as much gentility as his hysteria allowed.

* * *

 _"Boris…kid, stay awake, hang on, alright? Just, do that for me…please?"_

 _He tried to stay awake, but it was so, so very hard. His eyelids kept closing and his left arm felt weird along with his throat, all painful and numb at the same time. Part of him wanted to let go, slide off where things didn't feel funny and his body didn't feel like one massive ache. Sleeping was good, sleeping would make things better, he knew, if he just let himself sleep…_

 _…But the Sad Man was there, and from the tremble in the other's voice he knew that he'd better listen. It wasn't an angry tremble, more of an upset tremble, like the time with the wall and paper. It was enough to make him want to listen, to want to try, but the more he fought sleep the more he felt he was being dragged down into it, the sensation enfolding him in an inky, all-encompassing black…_

 _"Kid, no! Stay awake!" The bark coupled with a jolting shake rattled him back to wakefulness, enough that he registered being picked up. Was the Sad Man carrying him home? Good, he didn't…didn't think he'd be able to make it right now…_

 _"Boris, Boris, I'm sorry, I know you're tired, I know it probably hurts, but you need to stay awake, you have to! Please, Boris!"_

 _He was trying, really. He was never really able to tell the Sad Man things like the Sad Man told him, but the Sad Man was usually pretty good at figuring out what he was thinking. Why was the Sad Man being like this now? Why did he sound so scared?_

 _Not that there was really enough energy left to donate to that problem, as despite the Sad Man's wants, and his own efforts, he could feel his eyelids irrevocably sliding closed, frame slumping in the Sad Man's hold._

 _The Sad Man was still talking, the noise indistinct in his ears, but for the moment he tried to cling to it, even as the darkness dragged him down-_

-"Boris! Wake up, please! Boris!"

The garble of noise coming from Boris's throat in reply made something tickle, causing him to cough as he came to. His head was pounding, along with everything else, and his chest itched something terrible. The wolf had already shakily reached up a hand to scratch when the person leaning over him swam into view, the features a dead ringer for-.

"Ben'y?"

The next words weren't completely clear to the wolf's ears, but he could maybe make out the tail end of what sounded like someone whispering 'Oh, thank you' in an almost teary, grateful tone. Before Boris could even process it, Bendy leaned in, seemingly trying to get a closer look at the wolf's face.

"Pal, how-what, when did y'start runnin' a fever again? Why didn't y'say somethin'?"

"'m runnin' a fever?" Boris groaned, though he ruminated that a fever would certainly explain why he was feeling so achy and woozy. "Sorry, I didn'…I didn' know somethin' was wrong until…"

When had he started feeling so poorly? Boris fought with his still-hazy mind to remember, the only thing that he was able to come up with was the moment right before Bendy had pushed in the book that had been sticking out. The room had suddenly gone all wobbly before winking away into darkness, and he'd dreamed that-.

Boris blinked, face crinkling as he tried to think things through. What had been happening in that…that dream? Was it a dream? Despite the fact that he hadn't felt…lucid, hadn't felt clear, it still felt vivid enough that Boris had his doubts. But…he didn't remember anything about finding anyone…sane down in the bowels of the studio, and nothing about his arm or neck. Granted, those weird memories weren't perfect but still…

"Boris, what's wrong?" Bendy asked, the tense question drawing the wolf's attention back to reality. It was only then that Boris realized the manner in which his face was twisting and making the headache he was already nursing worse. Letting his expression loosen, the wolf nearly relaxed entirely, maybe to the point of nearly dozing off again before Bendy panicked and gave Boris's shoulder a shake.

"Boris, Boris, don't sleep, alright? Stay awake, pal!"

"'m not!" The wolf yelped, sitting upright and nearly falling back again as the room swam heavily around him. "'m…'m not, 'm, 'm jus' dizzy…"

"Alright, th-then here, sit back against the shelf, pal, okay? I'm gonna get the door open an' we're gonna leave. Just stay awake, pal, please, don't sleep."

Boris honestly wasn't sure how much he could promise. The room still felt like it was swaying under him, his head seemed like it was stuffed with cotton and his whole frame ached. He felt like he'd been stretched by his wrists and ankles, his insides more than a little squirmy and nauseous. Still, with Bendy looking so tightly wound, not to mention the fact that from the little devil's tone he might as well have been pleading, the wolf could only offer his best effort at a comforting smile before giving a nod.

"Okay, Ben. Don' worry. I'll stay awake." Boris added as he backed up to rest against the bookshelf. A flicker of motion drew the wolf's eyes down to where Buddy was standing, the tiny toon hesitating for a moment before shakily reaching out, feeling for where Boris was. Bendy caught on to what the minute devil was trying to do, steering Buddy's mitten gloves over to the wolf.

"'s okay, Buddy, 'm right here." Boris murmured, arms feeling like wet noodles as they picked up the tiny toon, resting Buddy against his front. It almost worried Boris a little when Buddy froze up, the minute devil stiff as a board against the taller toon's chest. Before the wolf could so much as comment on it though, Buddy relaxed, a tiny glove rubbing over the inky fur in what felt like an effort at comfort. Boris wasn't about to turn it down, partly curling around the minute devil as Bendy gave the scene a brief once-over, before darting back into the shelves to hunt for more books. Internally, the smaller toon went over the situation in his head, trying to re-orientate himself. They'd found three, there were five lights, that meant that there had to be two more about for him to find. Granted, if that didn't work or if all this turned up another dead end, he figured that maybe they could try to hunt down however the heck the other, the people had gotten out.

Even if the very thought of that made something in Bendy want to squirm away from the idea.

The little devil's feet nearly carried him past the next book, tucked away on a higher shelf. Levying himself up on one of the open safes embedded in the wall, Bendy pressed the book in with the rest, internally bracing himself just in case something else was going to happen.

When the atmosphere carried on, silent and still, the little devil couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, even as he internally circled around…whatever that was that had happened back there. What even was that, what had he seen? The first thing he could remember was the, the shaking and the screaming, the memory of the shrillness to the sound bringing to mind the recording he and the others had been listening to only minutes before.

Bendy's feet stilled in their path around the outer ring of shelves, the thought occurring in his mind that there might be a way that the recording and the weird vision were related, at least in part. After all, they'd heard a recording with Grant Cohen being changed into an ink monster, would it really have been so outlandish to think that, maybe, Susie had met a similar fate, in this very room? Maybe this is where she had been actually made into 'Alice', when she'd been reborn a second time.

While the assumption could make sense, even disjointedly, the latter half of the vision was still more than a little confusing, and frightening. It had been an image of himself, that Bendy knew, but the, the way it had been smiling, the ink leaking from its eyes, and the sounds. It all reminded him of that other, strange moment when he'd been in the room with the other ink machine, right before they'd found Buddy. Not to mention that night thirty years ago, finally rattled loose from wherever he'd managed to tuck it away in his mind…

Bendy could hardly say that he was an overly superstitious sort, but that imagery was starting to become too coincidental for him to ignore. Question was, was it a message or a threat? Or was it just him finally losing it after all?

"B-Ben!" Came a croak of a holler, a cough filtering through before the speaker tried again. "Bendy!"

It didn't take him long to recognize who was calling, Bendy flying back into the inner ring of bookshelves like someone'd lit his tail on fire.

"Right here, pal, what's wrong, are you okay-?" The smaller toon started, right before he noticed a smile trying to shakily form on the canid features. Though Boris's frame was trembling a little with the coughs that were fighting to get out, the wolf still pointed at a spot just above the desk where another book was sticking out.

"Thanks pal." Bendy said after a moment, Boris's coughs easing with the decrease of strain on his throat. With the last book pressed into the shelf, there was now the somewhat arduous task of the trio heading over to the door. Boris didn't let Buddy down, the tiny toon hardly seemed to mind that, but the wolf's attempt to get back on his feet was still painstakingly slow. Bendy also noticed how Boris kept grabbing onto the shelves with a hand, like the wolf needed orientation to simply stand up. Hopefully there'd be another office or something behind this door they could rest in for a bit, he really wasn't comfortable pushing Boris when the wolf was so obviously not well.

The faint hope for a break was immediately dashed, as the trio went through a small hallway leading out onto a makeshift catwalk. This ringed…Bendy wasn't even sure he'd have called it a room. This was honestly more of a cavern or cave, though when the little devil peered over the side he found that he couldn't even see the bottom. More ominously was the fact that hanging from the stone 'ceiling' were several cages, the chains creaking as they swayed gently. There was nothing in them, thank everything for that, but the fact that they were even there to begin with was more than a little disconcerting.

Either way, no part of this looked like the ideal spot for a break, something that Boris seemed to agree with too despite the fact that the wolf still looked very feverish and sickly. Bendy quickly looked up as the taller toon started to head along down the catwalk, steps still plodding and a little unsteady. Noting that the catwalk didn't exactly have any safety rails, the little devil hurried after the wolf, hoping to at least steer Boris so that he was closer to the wall, despite the occasional box and debris sitting against it. The instant the wolf's eyes caught sight of Bendy coming up on his left, nearer to the edge of the catwalk, the taller toon's arm zipped out and grabbed ahold of the devil's coat sleeve, dragging him over to the wolf's other side. Bendy let out a yelp that echoed off the walls, actual words soon to follow once it sank in what Boris had done.

"Hey, pal, what gives?! I was fine!"

"Y'looked like y'were gonna fall, Bendy!" The wolf whined back, expression nearing on petulant as they came to a set of stairs.

"I wasn't gonna fall, Boris, I was tryin' t'make sure you weren't about t'go over the edge! You're th' one that looks like he's gonna drop any moment now!"

"'m fine, Ben."

"Yeah, an' I'm a millionaire. The coat's just for rustic charm." The little devil snarked back, Boris pausing in his ascent up the steps to give the smaller toon an unamused look. It drew Bendy's attention to the fact that the wolf's eyes were starting to go inkshot at the edges, the smaller toon unable to keep himself from giving a last thought. "Maybe y'oughta save some'a that worrywarting for yourself, pal. Y'look like y'could use it."

"'m s'pposed t'be watchin' your back though." The words were nearly sullen, Bendy now seeing the expression behind the sickliness. Boris's posture and features had drawn inward, the wolf's face turning downcast as he scrubbed at his eyes with a free hand, almost as though he was trying to clear away any mental fog the fever was bringing. The sight, along with the words, softened the little devil's earlier mood, and had him bite back a faint sigh as he skipped ahead to keep up with Boris. True, he didn't want his pal pushing himself when it was clear he wasn't up for it but given the circumstances Bendy couldn't fault Boris for his desire to be useful. Besides, maybe to the wolf it had looked like he was going to fall.

"I know, an' y'are. You're doin' great at it, really. But that's, that's a two-way street, pal. You watch my back, an' I watch yours too. That's how it works." And right now, Boris looked like he might be needing someone watching his back. The last wasn't said, but the implication was clear, the wolf pausing again to look down at the smaller toon.

"…Alright, Ben." The wolf murmured, expression still dour enough that Bendy reached over and took Boris's free hand. The taller toon jolted up out of the low mood, pie-cut eyes locking onto the sight of Bendy holding his hand with at first surprise, before the expression melted into a tired kind of contentedness. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, pal." Bendy responded, before he glanced down and remembered the other member to their little party. "Y'doin' alright there, Bud?"

The tiny toon jolted at being addressed, though Buddy recovered quickly enough and gave a shaky thumbs-up. Both the wolf and the little devil chuckled, Boris giving Buddy a light squeeze of a hug and Bendy reached over to ruffle at the minute devil's nonexistent hair.

"Hey, I actually get t'do this t'somebody now." Bendy couldn't help but quip, Boris giving a slight snort before taking his hand out of Bendy's to reach over and do the same to the smaller toon. "Hey, pal, c'mon that wasn't-."

The mirth was somewhat dispelled when the wolf's chuckles suddenly made his throat catch, a couple wet coughs rattling through the lanky frame as Boris tried to cover his mouth. The fit passed in just a few moments, though the mood was entirely soured, and forced them to continue on to find somewhere to stop. Their path took them past a pipe sticking out from the wall, a pipe that happened to be draining ink down into the chasm below. The trio steered clear of the slightly splashing liquid, Bendy catching sight of a cutout seemingly stuck into the rock wall. Passing next to it brought the lower part of the little devil's cardboard likeness resting on the catwalk, up against the wall, into view. The sight made Bendy wonder if the cutout had been deliberately shoved into the wall, but if that had been the case, then why was it necessary?

Or maybe he was overthinking it and someone had just done it for kicks. Either way, it didn't really help them any. The next part of the catwalk was definitely a lot sturdier, something that helped Bendy's nerves, but it left them in kind of a strange spot. For one, there was a hallway leading off into…somewhere, and some kind of a machine to both their right and their left, the latter next to the edge of the catwalk. Judging from the manner in which there was another platform, they could get across, somehow.

What Bendy eventually did find was that there was…something of a standard way across, in the form of a sort of cart thing on a rope running from one crank to another. One on one side of the chasm, and the second on the other. However, when the smaller toon went to try to pull the lever, he quickly realized that, one, it wouldn't move, and two, there was a gear missing off the side of the crank. He could see where it was supposed to fit on the machine, but a quick look around told Bendy that there weren't any loose gears, and nothing he could use to try to mimic one that would make the thing go.

It was more than a little frustrating, the little devil nearly clunking his head into the metal in aggravation. Granted, it did seem like they were being left alone, at least for the moment, so it wasn't like they had to rush to piece things together. Maybe he could find something to use down that corridor, or another way around…

Even as he thought that a sudden, gravely cough sounded from behind, echoing off the walls of the cave. Immediately, the little devil turned, face falling as he noticed that the wolf's demeanor had just grown more and more sickly with each passing minute. The taller toon was wavering on his feet, Buddy 'looking' up at Boris's face with trepidation in his features.

Even though there wasn't a monster ready to chase them, there still was a sort of timer running that the little devil had completely neglected to take into account. Boris just didn't have time for Bendy to figure out how to get across, the realization hitting home as the smaller toon watched the wolf try to lean surreptitiously against the rock wall, face still flushed and breathing coming in exhausted pants. Snapping to at the sight of the taller toon shuffling Buddy in his arms to scratch at his chest again, Bendy quickly made a decision as to what to do next.

"Boris, siddown for a minute, okay? We're takin' a break."

"…Really?" The wolf asked, even as he slid down the rock wall to sit on a trunk next to the other machine. In his arms, Buddy cocked his head on his nonexistent neck, features radiating confusion. "Bu', there's nowhere t'hide in here."

"I don't think we gotta worry too much right now, and I know. I just…" The devil hesitated for a moment, knowing what he was about to say would no doubt be met with some opposition. "I just think y'should take five, maybe have some ink. You're, you're not lookin' too good right now, pal."

"No, I can't." Boris replied straightaway, and though the taller toon did shuffle around with the purpose of someone who wanted to get back to his feet, he didn't actually make any headway. "Bendy, I don't want you bein' on your own, 's not safe down here, what if somethin' shows up-?"

"If somethin' does happen, I'll deal with it. Right now, y'really look like y'could use th' ink." The devil punctuated his observation by drawing one of the inkwells out of his pocket, holding it out to the wolf. Boris looked between the inkwell to his unoccupied hand, still lethargically trying to tame the itch present under his fur.

"…Okay..." The taller toon eventually responded, reaching out to take the inkwell and clumsily uncorking it. When Boris moved to only take a small sip, Bendy spoke up again.

"Pal, it's okay, just take th' rest of it."

"B…But I thought we needed t'save these…" Before Boris was even finished speaking, Bendy was shaking his head in reply. Trying to put on a calming air, despite the fact that he felt anything but, the little devil spoke up.

"We also need 'em t'fix up any problems we got, otherwise we're carryin' 'em around for nothin', right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" The wolf hummed, peering about for a moment as though to make sure that nothing was sneaking up on them before downing the entire inkwell. It didn't take long for it to work, Boris slumping sideways to rest on the trunk. Bendy came to sit down next to the wolf's impromptu bed, reaching out to grasp the taller toon's hand. The little devil wasn't about to admit it aloud, but he definitely was starting to feel some of the strain of trying to be calm when, for all he knew, his best pal was in serious trouble.

The only times when he could remember getting sick enough to have a fever this bad was when he and Boris had eaten something left in the break room that Henry had said was spoiled. It was something that Bendy became acutely more aware of when he was living on the streets and trying to find edible food wherever he could manage. Especially because the sickness had hit the little devil particularly hard, given that while neither toon could stop throwing up Bendy had a considerably lower threshold for losing liquids. It had also been the longest time that either toon had been sick, the entire, sordid ordeal lasting about a week before Bendy was finally back on his feet, with Boris having recovered a day or two before. It was strange, in retrospect, how certain snapshots of the experience stuck in Bendy's memory while the rest was a feverish blur-.

- _curled up on the floor, Bendy could hear Boris whimpering from somewhere close as the wolf juddered his way through the sickness that swamped the pair. While the taller toon seemed to have a bit more energy to him, Bendy had long since lost his ability to do anything other than lie on the floor and stare at whatever point of the room his head happened to be turned towards. His head pounded, his stomach swam, though it had little more to actually throw up. He'd already pretty much emptied everything he could all over the floor next to his cot. If there was anymore his body thought it could bring up, Bendy was sure it would…turn him inside out or something._

 _The little devil was dazedly drawn back into reality by the fact that Boris had turned to him, the wolf's face wane but panicky in the semi-darkness. The door suddenly opening caused light to flood into the room, Bendy torpidly craning his nonexistent neck along with Boris to see a pair of shadowy figures standing in the door, one quickly turning on the lights before racing into the room. Bendy was able to make out Henry, his expression fighting to stay calm as he took in the complete disaster area the room had become overnight. The animator turned to say something to the other person, before reaching down to pick up the nearly-comatose devil. Bendy barely had the energy to do much more than lie there in Henry's arms, things greying out as his head flopped to rest against the animator's shirt_.-

"…Ben?" Boris abruptly murmured, eyes blinking and half-lidded even as they tried to seek out the little devil's face.

"Sor-Yeah, pal?"

"B'careful, okay?" The wolf requested, right as his eyes finally slid shut, congested snores drifting up from Boris after just a few seconds. It didn't escape Bendy's notice that even with the faint humidity in the air, probably from all the ink draining, the lanky toon still shivered like he was in a freezer. Without thinking on it too much, the little devil shrugged off his coat, draping it over Boris's shoulders in an effort to ward off the chill.

Bendy nearly forgot about Buddy, only being reminded at a sudden blur of motion to his side as the minute devil scurried over to Boris's makeshift bed. The smaller toon let Buddy pad about to feel at the coat and one of the wolf's hands, before he decided to go forward with the idea he'd been working on earlier.

"Buddy, I need y'to wat-keep an ey-…" Bendy trailed off, entirely stymied as to how to present what he wanted without drawing attention to the tiny toon's injury. Buddy, for his part, simply tilted his head in partial confusion, not understanding why the other devil might be second-guessing himself.

"Just stay with Boris, alright? An' holler if he wakes up." Bendy finally settled, lifting Buddy up to sit on top of the trunk next to the wolf's head, before turning to head down the hall and almost missing the brief flash of repulsed discomfort flickering over Buddy's face at the mention of hollering. "Look, if y'don't wanna yell, just start bangin' stuff t'gether an' I'll know t'come runnin'. Alright, kid?"

The compromise appeared to pacify the tiny toon, Buddy giving a quiet nod as he settled himself down right next to Boris. As Bendy glanced back before going down the hallway, he noticed that the minute devil had started to pet the wolf's head in an effort at comfort.

The sight was quickly swept away as Bendy headed further down the corridor, keeping his footsteps light and an eye out for anything that might mean him trouble. The next turn the hall took brought the little devil to what looked like a dead end, with an enormous pipe running from the ceiling of the alcove-like spot to the floor. Walking into the room didn't reveal any obvious doors or ways to continue on, but there was a lever on the wall, and another valve behind the pipe.

Opting for convenience, Bendy decided to try the lever first, and nearly regretted it on the spot when it caused the upper piece of the pipe to raise up off of the floor, revealing a bubbling pool of ink. Efforts to try to close it were found to be nearly impossible, as the lever was now deciding to be stuck and wouldn't move in either direction. Which left Bendy with just the valve, and a decision to make that suddenly seemed a lot more looming.

However, with the thought of the sickened wolf in the other room and the blind minute devil who were both relying on him, who would be trapped in this hellhole if he didn't find some way to keep them able to move along, Bendy forced himself to try. The valve turned easily enough, though the reaction it caused nearly frightened the little devil clear out of his skin. A faint vibration went through the earthen floor of the room, and a shape burst upward from the pool of ink contained in the bottom part of the pipe. Bendy's gasp was partially drowned out by a gurgling moan the shape made, the noise causing the image to click in the smaller toon's mind; it was one of the swollen ink monsters.

Bendy stayed pressed against the wall, too terrified to move as the inky shape hovered in the pool, right before its head turned and seemed to catch sight of the little devil. Before he could even scream, the swollen ink monster gave a groan, reaching up to its back and pulling off two handfuls of what looked like globbier blobs of ink. These it simply released once its hands were over the side of the pipe, letting them fall to the earthen floor before plunging back down into the mire. The little devil stared for a moment, bending down somewhat to pick up the ink while trying to keep his eye on the still bubbling murk.

This left Bendy with a blob of ink in each hand, and more than a little confused and repulsed by what had just happened. Reluctantly studying the stuff made him uncomfortably aware that it had more the consistency of a slime than a liquid, almost like some kind of gelatin. But, why would a monster want to give him this? He almost wished there had been some sort of speech, the lack of it after everything that he'd been through on the upper levels was eerie.

Had it been trying to help him? But, if that was the case, then what was he supposed to do with this stuff?

Either way, Bendy was doubly sure he didn't want to stick around, just on the off-chance something less benign was going to come up out of the ink next. Hurrying back out the way he'd come in, Bendy was gratified to see that Boris had not woken up, though Buddy was still very much awake, and 'looking' up in askance at the sounds the little devil was making.

"It's fine, Bud. Just me, everythin's fine." Bendy murmured, trying to force some ease into his voice despite the fact that he was feeling none of it. However, as he caught himself fruitlessly trying to make eye contact with the tiny toon to convey some of the earnestness he wasn't feeling, Bendy's eyeline happened to drift just a little behind the pair to see the machine that he'd half-noticed before. From the angle that he was looking at it, Bendy could see what looked like a lever on the left, with what appeared to be some kind of slot in the front dropping into the machine itself. Coming around to the right revealed some sort of dial, on an image of what looked like a cup. Putting one of the ink blobs into the slot in front, Bendy hesitantly flicked the dial, passing what looked like a bone before he came up on an image of…what was that, some kind of stabilizing thing?

He honestly could not have said what it was one way or the other, for all he knew the crank for the bridge could have been missing more than a gear so he decided to give it a try. Coming back around to the lever, the little devil gave it a pull and realized his mistake in not trying to warn the sightless member of their group when the sudden clamor of noise from the machine made Buddy jump and cower.

"I-It's alright, Bud, it's just-." Bendy's explanation was stopped cold when, with a final clank, an object sprung from the bottom part of the machine with color seeping into the initially inky shape. What it was clicked only a moment later; a radio. Bendy had to stare at it for a few minutes just to be sure that it was indeed there to begin with. Placing the other handful of ink into the slot, the little devil bent down to pick up the radio, hefting it up to give it a closer look. Partly on a whim, Bendy gave one of the knobs on the front a twist and ended up nearly dropping the thing when music suddenly blared out of the speaker. Thankfully managing to not let the radio hit the floor, Bendy managed to turn off the music, head jerking to look over at Boris to be sure his mistake hadn't woken the wolf up. The taller toon frowned in his sleep, shifting about for a moment before resettling. Still, while most of the feverishness had cleared, Boris's expression was still somewhat mired by restlessness. Worried that the wolf might be headed for a nightmare, Bendy left the ink in the machine and the radio on the ground and came up alongside the trunk. Picking up on the noise, Buddy started to reach out in the little devil's direction, Bendy quietly taking one of the tiny gloves in a hand while he carded Boris's head fur with his other.

"'s okay, Bud. Just, just checkin' on Boris. He's been, alright while I've been gone?"

At a nod from the tiny toon, Bendy was about to give his own in return before he realized that doing that wasn't likely to be very effective.

"Alright, thanks Bud. You been okay? How're your eyes feelin'?"

The minute devil felt out the bandage on his face, before giving a somewhat hesitantly shaky thumbs-up, almost as though he was a little afraid of what Bendy would say or do if he answered no.

"…It really feels okay, Bud? It's alright if it's not, 'specially if you're hurt. If it's hurtin' y'gotta let us know so we can help fix it." Despite himself, Bendy felt a sort of comforting smile try to form on his face, his hand letting go of Buddy's to rest on the minute devil's head, kneading in the sort of way Henry used to do. Though a small shake went through the tiny frame at the first hint of contact, the tension in Buddy eased. Bendy wasn't certain he would say that the tiny toon was relaxing in his presence, exactly, more that Buddy appeared to consciously note the nervous energy, and exhaustedly tried to dispel it for a while. Bendy steered the slumping Buddy forward, letting the minute devil's head rest against his shoulder. The change did cause Buddy to tense up again, but after a minute or two with nothing happening, the semi-exhausted slump set back in.

He could just let the tiny toon lean against the trunk, or Boris, so he could get back to the ink processing-machine-thing, but for the moment, Bendy let Buddy stay where he was. Not to mention, the brief downtime did start to stir some of the curiosity that had been flickering in the little devil's mind since they'd happened upon the tiny toon.

"Hey, Bud, can I ask you somethin'?"

The minute devil shifted, head partially tilting up to 'look' in the direction of Bendy's voice before giving a nod.

"…Where'd you come from?" Bendy blurted out at first, before realizing the limits of this one-sided conversation and quickly amending. "Wait, no, that was a bad question, strike that. Just…were you always in that room? The one Boris an' me found you in?"

Though the entire thing had Buddy looking more than a little confused, the tiny toon's expression cleared into something a bit more unreadable, if not somber, at the eventual clarification. At the answering headshake from Buddy, Bendy spoke up again.

"Can I ask another question, Bud?" Waiting for the tiny toon's go-ahead, Bendy continued. "Were your eyes always like that, and can you talk at all?"

This caused a reaction that Bendy knew straightaway he didn't like. The tension in Buddy's frame returned tenfold, the tiny toon growing stiff as he protectively curled on himself, the mitten gloves clenched over their attached arms. Despite the fact that he'd started to tremble a little, like the mere question had brought some miasma of memory into the space, Buddy gave a quiet headshake to the first part of the question, and sort of wavered on the second half.

"Alright, Buddy, alright. 'm sorry, I didn' mean t'make you, t'make you scared. Y'can calm down, I'm not gonna ask any-." The little devil's speech cut as, in his attempt to calm the tiny toon down, he'd rested his hand on Buddy's head again. The mere contact caused the minute devil to jump and pull away, an audible gasp of fright shattering the efforts. It unfortunately made Buddy knock right into Boris's head, the wolf giving a snort as the impact jolted him awake.

"Wuzzrong?"

Given that Buddy wasn't about to say anything, heck it looked like the inadvertent mistake had made the tiny toon ball up even more than he'd already had while shaking like a leaf, Bendy took it upon himself to try to answer Boris.

"No, nothin's wrong, pal. It was my fault, sorry, I didn' mean t'wake you, y'can go back to sleep if'n you want."

"No, no it's okay, 'm up." Boris replied, pushing himself upright, Bendy's coat falling to rest partly on the wolf's lap, the sight making the taller toon pause before he recognized the clothing for what it was. A faint smile creased the canid features, Boris handing the coat back to the little devil for him to put on. "I'm feelin' better too, Ben. Don' worry about it."

"Y'definitely look better, pal." Bendy offered, a reciprocating grin lighting up his own face as Boris pushed himself back up to his feet, the wolf looking around for a moment before his eyes landed on the corridor that Bendy had just been exploring.

"Is that where we hav'ta go?"

"No!" Bendy nearly shouted, immediately lowering his tone when the holler made both Boris and Buddy jump, the wolf's nearly content expression miring with worry. "No, I mean, I already checked, there's nothin' back there, it's a dead end. We gotta use this."

The little devil turned to point out the crank-bridge, hoping that the distraction would keep Boris from asking what exactly he'd found down the other corridor. However, when he looked back to the wolf, Bendy was dismayed to see that the concern hadn't quite faded.

"Alright. Is everything, are you alright, Bendy?"

"Yeah, yeah fine. Just…" The smaller toon found himself pausing, remembering what he'd been doing before he'd gotten side-tracked. "…hold on, we can't use it yet, I gotta fix it first."

"You gotta-? Why, what's wrong with it?"

"There's a gear missin'. I gotta, hold on…" Bendy tried to explain, before realizing that it probably wouldn't make much sense if he tried to outline it verbally. Better to just show the wolf and deal with the resulting questions. Turning the crank, Bendy stepped back as the machine gave a few clatters and clanks, before spitting out an inky shape which formed into a gear just the right size for the crank. Throwing a glance up at Boris, Bendy felt himself cringe a little at the look of pure confusion and mild trepidation flashing over the canid features, before the wolf turned to look at the little devil. Buddy, for his part, stayed atop the trunk listening to the noise.

"Bendy, how'd you, what's, how'd you do that?"

"It's…it's some kind of machine, takes ink and makes stuff outta it, I made a radio a minute ago-." The explanation halted as Bendy looked around, only just realizing that the radio was nowhere in sight. "It, it was just here. I just had it…"

Shaking his head, Bendy opted to just continue rather than get hung up on the details. After all, they'd already spent enough time in here.

"A-Anyway, we just gotta fix it an' we should be good t'go." Bendy finished, hefting the gear in his hands and bringing it over to the crank. Behind him, he could hear Boris murmuring for Buddy to hang on as the wolf picked him up again. Easing himself out on the little platform the crank was on, Bendy fitted the gear into place and scooted back to the safety of the more stable ledge. Grabbing the lever, the little devil fought with the somewhat stuck mechanisms before he managed to yank it down into the 'on' position. The creak of the crank beginning to work heralded success, though as he looked at the manner in which the little cart slowly crept across the rope Bendy was almost sure he might end up regretting his efforts.

It definitely didn't help that the cart wasn't very big, it taking a moment for the trio to load themselves aboard in a way that didn't feel like the whole thing was about to tilt. It eventually ended up with Boris standing directly in the center, leaning down to stay under the ropes holding the cart up, with Bendy standing close to the wolf's legs. Buddy was clinging to Boris's front, the wolf still cradling the tiny toon in an arm as he held onto one of the ropes. The crank seemed to start to turn of its own accord, the cart heading back across the way it had come with the creaks ringing abnormally loud in the cavernous space.

However, just as the cart made it to the center of the line, the mechanisms stopped with a jerk, the toons swaying dangerously as everything ground to a halt.

"Wh-What's goin' on?" Boris yelped as he fought between staying still and moving, Buddy giving a small hiss of terror through his teeth as he clung to the wolf, and Bendy looking around at everything from the line to the two cranks on either side. He couldn't quite see the gears properly, nor did he feel safe enough to move around to get a better look, but from what little he could see Bendy could tell that the gears weren't turning, instead merely jerking back and forth.

An image of the three of them plunging down into the darkness below flashed through Bendy's mind, the little devil clinging to the wolf's pant leg as though he could keep them up through desperation alone, all the while his mind buzzed with thoughts that it was **his fault his fault they relied on him and he'd let them down useless useless burden bad luck you never should have been made-.**

But then the cart started to move across the line as though nothing had happened. All three toons relaxed, nearly sagging in their spots as they were overwhelmed by relief. The trio couldn't get out of the cart fast enough once it clunked against the opposite crank, both Boris and Bendy stumbling a little on rubbery legs as they disembarked and tried to get their bearings.

"Bendy…you okay?" Boris managed once he'd gotten his breath back, eyes taking in what he could of the little devil's face. He honestly couldn't tell if the dribbles of ink ringing the smaller toon's eyes were due to fear or something else, though at this point he would have chalked it up to what had just happened. The near shock filtering through the little devil's pie-cut eyes was making the wolf worry though. Kneeling down next to Bendy, Boris barely pressed a hand to the coat's shoulder before the smaller toon gave a worryingly large jump.

"Y-Yeah, 'm fine. I just need a minute." Bendy managed once he'd recovered, Boris resisting the urge to pull the little devil in for a hug partly on the grounds that he wasn't sure it would help matters. Not to mention, there was the last member of their party to look to. While Buddy had loosened his grip on the wolf's overalls and fur, the tiny toon was still huddling close in a worryingly tight ball, pressing his face into Boris's front with air still hissing through his teeth.

"Buddy a-are you-?" Boris started, before realizing that asking that was probably a moot point. "It's alright, Bud, we're alright, we made it, t-take deep breaths, alright? Can you do that for me, Buddy?"

The quiet murmurs and gentle instruction were enough to get Buddy to steadily uncurl, ragged breaths easing into something more stable. The wolf was so intent on his efforts that he missed how the words at first caused Bendy to hurriedly look up, the little devil worried that perhaps something had happened to the tiny toon, before the sight of Buddy whole and unharmed in the wolf's arms registered. Either way, the minute devil slowly eased himself from his shelter in Boris's fur, head tilting back for a moment before a mitten glove reached out to pat the wolf's front and giving a thumbs up, the tilt of the tiny toon's head giving away the questioning lilt to the gesture.

"Uh…" Boris hummed at first, not understanding for a moment before it clicked. "Oh! Yeah, Bud, I'm fine. I'm okay."

Though he'd gotten an answer, Buddy wasn't totally satisfied, twisting a little as he reached about, the reasoning becoming clear to Bendy nary a moment later.

"I-It's okay, Bud. I'm right here, I'm alright too. Everythin's fine." The little devil soothed, putting out a hand for the tiny toon to grab onto, the mitten feeling out the slightly larger glove as though everything could be discerned from just an examination of Bendy's right hand. And, with his concern over the tiny toon sated, Boris quietly rested a hand on the little devil's coat-shrouded shoulder in his own show of solidarity.

However, while Bendy wanted to keep the calm moment going, especially after everything he'd been through in the past half an hour alone, he knew that they had to keep moving. Giving the wolf's hand a returning squeeze, the little devil pushed himself upright with Boris not far behind.

Sitting directly across from them was a metal door, left partially ajar. With Grant's tape, not to mention the possibility of 'Alice' or the black and white ink monster in mind, Bendy carefully pushed it open, only to reveal a decrypt, aged hallway. Walls with crumbling plaster ringed the toons on both sides, the end of the corridor too dark to really see much of, but with nowhere else they could go the trio had no choice but to continue forward.

They didn't get much more than five feet when Bendy registered a faint vibration running through the floor again, the sensation his only warning before the abandoned hallway winked out of his vision, only to be replaced with a swimming image of the same hallway that was decidedly much less abandoned. Dark, ink-covered arms reached out from the walls, grabbing at whatever they could of the trio. Rising to a pitch was a steady chorus of whispers, the words not entirely distinct but hauntingly familiar, Bendy only sparing a moment to register the sight before his hand flew back to latch onto Boris's overalls, the little devil nearly hauling the wolf forward on sheer adrenaline alone as he tried to run. His legs wouldn't completely respond, the jog turning into a stumbling amble, the whispers growing louder in his ears for a moment as **something** **big hummed closer and closer-.**

And then the sight faded, the hallway silent and still once more. Bendy's breath came in near pants as he looked frantically about, drawn back into reality by both the fact that it felt like he had perfect control of his facilities again and that Boris's hand had come down to clench over the fabric of his coat sleeve. The pair locked eyes for a moment before they decided to run to the other end of the hallway as one, Bendy just catching sight of a familiar, hulking machine as it slowly lowered past the doorway as they came closer.

The pair clattered out onto another rickety catwalk, the little devil struck by what he'd seen as he both tried to get his breath back and get a better look at the space below them. Edging forward, Bendy peered over the side just in time to see the ink machine fade into the black as it dropped even lower down the shaft. Taking a step away he couldn't help but crane his head back, peering upward at the realization that this likely went straight up to the animation floor, where he'd entered this nightmare. The little devil had been about to impart this knowledge to Boris, before a horribly familiar voice sounded from somewhere around them, crackling through an unseen, aged intercom system.

 _ **"I see you there, my little errand boy. Your angel is always watching. What is it that keeps you going? Is it the thrill of the hunt? The thirst for your freedom?**_ " With no speaker or source to direct his frustration at, Bendy instead glared upward. Not that 'Alice' was done speaking. _**"Or, perhaps…you're looking for someone, someone in particular?"**_

The question made the pair stop, glancing at each other in tense askance.

"What's she talkin' about?" Bendy whispered, Boris shaking his head with half a shrug in response. Buddy pressed close to the wolf's front, expression twisting in anxiety at the menacing voice as Boris did his best to quietly calm the tiny toon down.

 _ **"Certain ones were prized the most and allowed to keep themselves a little better. The Projectionist was one. Sammy, was another. They were considered the best, weren't they? Indispensable to the goings-on at the studio. But they were hardly the only ones. After all, someone had to draw all those pretty pictures, didn't they?"**_

There was no more said, though the implication came through as clear as the first bolt of morning light. Both the devil and the wolf looked between each other, eyes wide as a silent question zipped between them.

Did 'Alice' know where Henry was, and more importantly, did the warped angel have the animator at her mercy?

* * *

And that's that. Guessing we have our new objective, maybe? Also, just to let everyone know, I'm going to be updating the whole of Chapter 1: Where The Demon Sleeps, and giving Chapters 2 and 3 a proper sweep with some additions to reflect the updates to the game (and an added scene in Chapter 5). I may try to stagger it with the full rewrite of Chapter 1 and then posting Chapter 7 before going ahead and doing the other adjustments. Either way, hoping to get everything done before the last chapter of the game is released.

Thanks once again, and if you like feel free to leave a review! Hope you all have a great day and a wonderful weekend!


	8. Ch7: The Hanging Tree

A/N: And here it is, where things start flying off the rails entirely into No Man's Land because my brain will fill in story and character blanks faster than you can say 'fixation'. As usual, Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by themeatly and Mike Mood, and the HATIM AU was made by thelostmoongazer on Tumblr.

Thanks so much for coming back, and if you notice any spelling, grammatical errors, or if you just want to gush about stuff, feel free to leave a review. Trust me, I read all of them. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

The Hanging Tree:

The pair were rendered completely speechless, shocked by the implication of what they'd just heard. 'Alice', the psychopathic warped angel who had tried to smear Bendy all over the walls, who had cut Boris open multiple times, at best only knew where Henry was. At worst, she had the animator and was now dangling the possibility of his life being in danger in front of them like…well, like bait.

It could be a lie, Bendy found himself desperately wanting to believe that the insane angel was lying, but…if she really had Henry there, with her, could he afford that? Could he, in good conscience, walk away knowing that he'd be condemning the animator to a horrific, gruesome death via whatever the angel could think up?

…No. No, he couldn't. But Boris, and Buddy…they didn't need to go chasing danger with him. 'Alice' had already made it clear that she cared not a whit for either of them, the toon wolf especially, and Buddy probably wouldn't be granted any favors due to how much he looked like Bendy. The little devil wouldn't have anyone else getting hurt, not for him.

The smaller toon was already trying to draft up a plan in his mind as he headed for the stairs, when a sudden, rushed exclamation of his name from behind reminded him of who else was present.

"Bendy, wait! Where are you goin'?"

"I-I'm gonna, if she's got Henry then I'm gonna go try t'get him away from her, but you an' Buddy should find some place to bunk down while I'm doin' that, I'll find you, just go-."

"Ben, no, I'm not hidin' anywhere while you're runnin' off-!"

"Pal, you're not hidin', we're gonna meet up later once I-!"

"You're not gonna just go an' find her, Bendy, I'm not gonna let you get hurt, an' if you go, I'm goin' with you!" Boris hollered, voice echoing up the shaft, though Bendy didn't think of the noise, instead focusing on shouting down the taller toon's points with his own.

"Somebody's gotta stay an' look after Buddy, pal! An' I'm not draggin' you with me t'go find somebody that wants you dead!"

"She dropped the elevator with you in it too, Ben! It doesn't matter who she wants de-gone, she'll, she'll do it, an' if you go, she'll kill you, Bendy, y'-y'don't remember, when she was talkin' b'fore she, she said that she was gonna take you apart, jus' like th' rest of 'em!" Boris's voice had started to break about midway through his speech, the wolf's words crackling and warbling as his arms tightened around his frame, and Buddy, in an effort at a hug. The tiny toon, who had been balling up at the shouting, uncurled slightly, just enough to try patting at Boris's arms and front in an effort to calm the wolf down. Bendy, for his part, felt blindsided by the rant. He certainly didn't remember 'Alice' saying that she wanted to take him apart specifically, but in retrospect he could see it happening.

Either way, the fact that Boris was visibly crumpling, taller frame shaking as his ears folded and his tail pressed close to his legs, sapped a lot of the fight out of Bendy. Granted, this didn't endear the little devil to the idea of the wolf and the tiny toon following him after 'Alice'…

Sensing the hesitation, Boris moved in with a new tactic, voice still unsteady but the meaning behind it firm.

"Also, you're not leavin' me somewhere while you go off, I've chased you all 'round this studio b'fore, Bendy. I'll do it again if'n y'make me."

…Yeah, if anything, Bendy had to concede that the wolf could definitely make good on that claim. What with having at least three feet on the devil and all that.

Even though he felt like the idea was a huge mistake, Bendy gave a weak, if slightly rueful little chuckle, trying to flash the wolf a somewhat conciliatory smile.

"Okay, pal. 'm not-we'll figure out how t'deal with it when we get there, alright?" Even though Bendy was more or less trying to take the strain out of the conversation, despite the multiple terrible scenarios firing in his brain, Boris seemed to pick up on the devil's fragile mood. Padding up the stairs until he was level with Bendy, the wolf hesitated briefly before holding out a hand in a sort of peace offering. Though he hardly delayed in taking it, Bendy's overall thoughts and mood were rapidly plummeting into something as dark and encompassing as the shaft below them.

The shaft that Boris had just noticed and was starting to scrutinize closer now that the still winding chains were sliding past the trio as they climbed the stairs. Catching sight of the wolf peering at the space above as well as below, Bendy opted to go with the thought he'd had before 'Alice' had interrupted.

"It's the shaft for the ink machine, th' same one we saw upstairs, 'member?"

"How'd-?"

"I saw it go down." Bendy replied shortly, his eyes reaffixing themselves on the steps in front of him and missing the worried look that the wolf flashed his way at the dull, emotionless tone to the devil's voice. Buddy too picked up on the dour inflection, leaning a little in Boris's arms to 'peer' in Bendy's general direction. It was a tension that the smaller toon picked up on even through his mental and emotional exhaustion, glancing up at the two and trying to flash a smile.

"Well, look at it this way, worse comes t'worst, we can climb back up th' chains 'r somethin'. After we go get Henry." Go get him. It sounded so much nicer than saying 'rescued'. Like this was thirty years ago, and the animator was just wrapped up in his work. Still, if Bendy wanted to actually make sure that he stood a chance of getting Henry back, he'd have to think of things as they were, not as he'd rather they be.

As they kept ascending the stairs, Bendy tried to think on what he could do that might help his chances. His interactions with 'Alice' told him that she was emotionally unstable, and could be goaded, but if she was just going to use that, that thing where she moved things without touching them then he really didn't stand too much of a chance there unless he was able to…

…To distract her. Like when the monochrome ink monster had headbutted the warped angel in the face and smeared its ink over her eyes. It had, in retrospect, probably been on purpose. The monster did seem smart enough to plan from what Bendy had seen. And it did give him an idea, or at least an edge he could work with. 'Alice' needed her eyes to work her magic, so covering them seemed like the safest and best option for evening the playing field. Not to mention there was a surfeit of ink around that he could use. Granted, if that was what he'd be relying on Bendy figured that he might want to start grabbing handfuls now. 'Alice' likely would choose a cleaner spot to meet in.

Well, once they did find her. She hadn't exactly given them very many hints as to how this was going to work. For the moment, all the trio could do was follow the winding stairs and platforms as they looped up through the shaft, eventually rising to a level where the steps stopped. The only means to continue was a small entryway to a room, furnished with couches and candles. Bendy had just noticed a record player on one of the couches, playing some sort of quiet music, when a flicker of motion drew his eyes up to what looked like some sort of deck on the far side of the room. On which stood a lanky, inky-black figure that was stumbling to the center. Immediately the trio ducked behind the shelter of the other couch so as not to be seen by something that could have been hostile, though from the way their luck had been lately Bendy wasn't sure if they had been fast enough to avoid being spotted.

However, all thoughts of this were blanked from his mind when his ears caught the sounds of someone talking, someone that couldn't have been Boris as while the voice was masculine, it was too high-pitched. Buddy was out too, as the voice wasn't coming from their hiding space, instead it was coming from the deck.

" **H-He's going to find me! He always finds me! Oh no**!"

Despite himself Bendy peered over the couch, just to be sure of the conclusion his mind had already reached. And he had been right. The speech was coming from the figure standing on the deck, the thin frame twisting to look this way and that, as though it were afraid of the eponymous 'he' popping up even while it was speaking.

 **"I just want to go home! When do we go home? When do we go home?!"** The figure cried, the last question seemingly hollered to the heavens as it turned and continued to hobble down the deck, disappearing from sight moments later.

It took a good long minute before any of the trio felt safe enough to make a sound, though Bendy was the one to speak first.

"…y-you guys heard that too, right? It wasn't just me?"

"No, I heard it too." Boris whispered back, Buddy nodding in response from the wolf's arms. Though he'd definitely gotten the answer he wanted Bendy refrained from continuing to talk, not wanting to give voice to the next question rattling about his brain. Had that been a person? Not some mere monster or shadow of someone who might've been, but a real, thinking person?

Well, he already had proof of that, in the form of Sammy and 'Alice'. Norman and the other inky creatures didn't quite seem to count due to their lack of outward intelligence beyond the concept of 'chase'. But Sammy and 'Alice' were both pretty far off their rockers, either because of the ink or how long they'd been down here. That-figure? Being? -had sounded not only self-aware, but cognizant of their situation to a worrying degree. Its words were almost sane compared to everything else that Bendy had heard, barring the mention of 'he' though the little devil had some thoughts as to what that entailed.

Still, despite the fact that his own emotions resonated with the inky figure's words, Bendy wasn't sure he wanted it to find them. If anything, he could reason that while not everything attacked on sight the argument could be made that it hadn't actually seen them and there could be a whole different side to this.

"Alright, c'mon, let's keep moving…" The little devil murmured, peering up at the deck to see if anything else was coming before rushing as quietly as possible across the room, where he could see a door nestled at the end of a tiny hallway. Boris too scrambled to his feet, Buddy clutching at the taller toon's arms as they ventured forward as one.

Upon throwing open the door the trio were greeted with the sight of a large room, possibly either a previous store room or an office. It was not unoccupied, filled with dozens upon dozens of tall, thin figures made of ink, a few of the dripping, bulbous heads turning to look in the direction of the toons standing frozen on the doorstep. Immediately, they could be placed as the same figures from the archives, though unlike the ones that had been on the stage, these clearly had no issue with moving.

Though the standoff had been in practice from the get-go, nobody made a move to either withdraw or advance. The toons knew that there was nowhere else they could go, but neither did the inky figures try to come close despite their interest.

Well, not quite. Once the sight had registered, a lone figure started to amble its way forward, head tilted downwards as it's glowing eyes locked onto the little devil at the head of the toons' procession. In a panic, Bendy's voice crackled to life, a hand thrown up in a gesture at defense.

"STOP!"

And it did. The figure's approach came to a hurried halt, frame juddering dangerously back and forth as it complied with the singular word. Though while it had dealt with the immediate danger, Bendy felt as though ice had settled in his stomach, his hand shaking as he lowered it back to his side. Pulling away from Boris, the devil took a sliding step forward, his eyes roving over the small crowd of dark, skeletal figures gathered in the room. The wolf opened his mouth to call out to Bendy, maybe get him to wait, before his eyes locked onto a familiar-looking cage hanging from the ceiling, a pair of glowing eyes peering down from within. The sight was mimicked in other little pockets around the room, Boris looking from nook to nook to see the barred in spots, with a glimmering set of eyes glancing out from nearly all of them. As the taller toon cast about, he caught sight of a clear stretch of wall at the far side of the room, upon which were written more of the messages that had been scrawled all over the studio.

The words on the back wall were by far the largest, written nearly four feet tall.

 _ **NO ANGELS!**_

And there, written under that and on the right-hand wall in the same scribbled-ink manner that had been throughout the studio were the fateful words.

 _ **HE WILL SET US FREE**_

Boris quietly mouthed the message to himself as he read, wrapping his arms securely around Buddy in lieu of being able to do something more. A sudden flicker of movement drew him to Bendy quietly dropping to his knees, eyes wide and staring at the words with nothing but incomprehensible shock on his face.

"Bendy?" The wolf asked, voice crackling between a desire to get the devil's attention and to not break the silence of the room. However, he could have shouted for all Bendy heard. The realization of the writing being here, on this wall, in this room, and what it could mean blotted everything else from the little devil's senses.

These creatures, these _people_ , had been writing the messages on the walls. They had been waiting for him for thirty long years, for him to come back and save them somehow. Because it was the only option, with Joey having done whatever he'd done to turn the studio into a literal hell. Joey, who had slapped his face onto everything, called him back here to make him into probably something like the 'walking ink', or the monochrome ink monster, something that would do what they had been doing but to everything and everyone else. Like the 'he' that…

The devil's train of thought derailed, only to continue on again with a screaming vengeance. Joey had set all this off with Bendy himself as the face of it. They were like this because of him. Thirty years of seeming torture, of being hunted, because of him, because he was made and maybe this is what Joey had meant by making him all along, **it was all his fault**.

 _Hard to breathe_ -They're staring at him, he's supposed to set them free, but he can't he doesn't know how- _everything's spinning, I can't breathe, I can't I can't_ \- Was one of these Henry, Wally? Someone he had known? Did he have any right to think of how he would be affected when others suffered, lost themselves, for him? Did they even remember who they were- _shaking, everything's shaking, can't stand up, can't run_ \- They had been around the statue too, worshiping the idol of him, lamenting things that had happened in his name, were **HIS FAULT-.**

There was a strange buzzing in the devil's ears, Bendy only just realizing that the weird noise was covering up the dull, indistinct sound of someone, of Boris, speaking. Though the smaller toon's frame was curled up, palms pressing into the sides of his head, the wolf had still drawn up Bendy to sit on his lap. Boris was nearly curled around the devil's much smaller frame, though there was just enough space for Buddy to stand in front of the pair, the tiny toon clearly upset. Bendy distantly watched as Buddy felt about, mitten hands trembling faintly as they patted hesitantly at Bendy's head.

The distraction made some of the haze clear, Bendy now finally able to hear precisely what Boris was whispering. Despite the fact that the wolf's voice was a warbling mess, tears clear in both the tone and the fact that there were faint drops of wetness dripping onto Bendy's horns, the words were clear as day.

"Ben, Bendy, it's okay, it's alright, I'm here, it's, it's-you're okay, I gotcha Bendy, I gotcha…"

The little devil gave a wordless murmur, one of his hands loosening from its tensed clenching and snaking out to rest atop Buddy's as his other tried to wrap around Boris in a looser, shakier version of a return hug. At the acknowledgment Buddy pressed close to the pair, Boris helping as he reached out and eased the tiny toon to sit with Bendy on his lap. Wrung out from the emotional fit, the little devil simply lay in the wolf's hold, grasping onto an overall strap with a hand that felt painfully weak. Even though they were far from alone, Bendy found himself starting to slump with exhaustion as his eyes fluttered.

Though he knew that with as tired as he was feeling it would probably be good to at least grab a few minutes of rest, the little devil fought sleep's pull, jerking himself awake in Boris's arms. Noticing the smaller toon's conflict, Boris shifted his grip to rest a hand on Bendy's head, fingers shakily kneading at the behorned scalp.

"'salright Ben, 'm here, I gotcha…"

 _But I can't be the one draggin' us down._ Bendy wanted to say, though somehow he couldn't force the words past his lips. Instead, he took slower and slower blinks, huddling close to the relative security and safety that Boris and Buddy's combined presence brought. Even as his own mind whispered about how he didn't deserve it, that he would bring pain to his only, remaining friends in this nightmare if he did stay with them. The idolatry in the studio seemed proof enough of the feeling.

It was his last, coherent thought before Bendy's eyes slid closed, his brain sputtering fitfully between anguish and guilt before succumbing to exhausted slumber. Meanwhile, Boris's attention kept revolving between the prone devil, the wakeful one, and the crowd that was still present in the room. In an effort to at least mitigate the last element, the wolf scooted back until he was tucked away in the safety of some boxes.

Just as he settled into the sort-of sanctuary, Boris felt a heat start to climb from the center of his chest to his head, making the room waver slightly around him. The foggy dizziness swept upon the tall toon with a vengeance, his eyes going grey at the edges. A faint pat at mid-chest drew Boris's attention down to the still-awake Buddy sitting in his arms, the tiny toon's bandaged head turned up to 'look' at the wolf's. It took Boris a groggy moment of staring to puzzle out the worried expression on the minute devil's face, though when he did the wolf hastened to ease it.

"'sokay Bud." The fuzziness had dulled his tongue along with his thoughts, Boris only able to manage a partially lopsided smile and somewhat earnest tone. "'ll be okay, jus' tired, I jus' need…some…"

The wolf wasn't able to keep his eyes open, falling unconscious before he could even reach his last word. Brows furrowing under the makeshift bandage, Buddy pressed a hand to as close to the taller toon's face as he could reach, which was only to about his neck. Even still, it was enough to feel the fever roiling under the black fur, Boris's eyes fluttering under their lids as his body suffered through the miasma. Unable to do much, and not willing to try venturing away, Buddy simply hunkered down and did his best to wrap what he could of Boris's frame in a hug, passing worried 'glances' at both the wolf and the still dismal-looking Bendy.

Boris had reclined partially against the wall, frame slumped despite his still-firm hug around both devils. While none of the inky figures approached, a few were still staring at the almost bittersweet sight of the battered trio huddled together. The scene was almost picturesque despite the exhaustion, though the first signs of the calm flickering started small. Even in rest, Boris's face had started to scrunch, the wolf's shoulders tensing as something unseen gripped his frame. Though he kept his arms resolutely wrapped around the pair, Boris began to twitch about, shoulders and feet jerking as he tried to work out the uncomfortable sensation without waking up completely. Buddy, catching onto the change, stared up at Boris before his eyeline dropped to the center of the taller toon's chest. The tiny toon's expression morphed into a frantic grimace as he suddenly lunged to sit up, mitten gloves flailing at the air in front of Boris as though trying to clear a cloud of flies.

Something had to give, and eventually it did. A faint pop sounded, the wolf finally managing to relax back into proper slumber as his frame untensed, settling more contentedly against the dusty tile floor with a quiet cough. The noise and movement had gotten the attention of one of the dark figures, though after giving the scene a good long stare, it opted instead to move away. Watching its retreat, Buddy gave the sight an uneasy look before huddling closer to Boris, shakily burrowing into the wolf's fur as a hand snaked out to grasp one of Bendy's.

* * *

A little while later, Bendy's face started to twitch, the smaller toon blinking before his head tilted to the side and caught sight of the still-present, slightly wavering figures of the ink figures standing about the room. Starting almost upright, the little devil jostled Boris to wakefulness and ripped his hand from Buddy's, waking the tiny toon up as well in one fell swoop.

"Bendy?" Boris grunted out, a garbled squeak from Buddy echoing the wolf's question and immediately drawing Bendy's attention to the chain reaction that he'd accidentally set off.

"Pal, s-sorry, think we need t'get outta here-." Rushed from Bendy's mouth before he really had a chance to process what he was saying, his gaze flip-flopping from the crowd to the still-groggy wolf and minute devil.

"Wh-oh." The realization caught up to Boris in short order, though the taller toon was a mite bit slower to react than Bendy. "I-I don't think they're gonna hurt us, Ben. They left us alone b'fore."

"Yeah, but I don' wanna stick around in case that changes, besides, one'a 'em did try t'come up t'us."

The wolf didn't have an answer for that, and pushed himself to his feet with Buddy still in his arms. However, as he did, a sound started to filter into Boris's hearing. Like someone was crying, who was crying?

Boris was about to ask Bendy if he'd heard the noise too, but when the wolf looked down at the little devil he found Bendy staring up at him with an almost confused air.

"Whassamatter, Ben?" The question did snap the little devil out of his brief stupefaction, though he hardly had an explanation for it. He just…had the odd feeling that he was craning his neck back further than he ought to be.

"I, it's nothin' pal, don't worry, let's just get goin'." Managing to seize one of the wolf's hands, Bendy hastened to lead Boris around the boxes, though to get out they had to transverse the crowd filling the room. However, the wolf seemed to have one thing right; not a one of the ink figures moved towards the toons as they tried to pass through. A few turned their heads to look at them, though that could easily be written off as more an interest in the new faces if nothing else. Still, it felt like being a cat in a kennel of dogs, Bendy only relaxing once they'd gotten to the other end of the room.

But his hopes at finding a door were somewhat dashed by the fact that there quite simply wasn't one. There was a vent, the covering pulled off and a flashlight sitting at the ready just inside, but the cramped, dark space beyond felt more like an ominous warning rather than a hopeful promise.

The sound of crying finally caught Bendy's ears, the devil's head turning to the left to see what looked like an inky head bobbing in and out of sight from behind a box off to the side. A flicker out of the corner of his eye heralded Boris taking a step in that direction, the wolf's ears lowered and face quivering with empathy at the despairing noise. Bendy didn't remove his hand from Boris's, letting the taller toon lead him a few feet forward, to the point where they could see the source. One of the inky figures, this one looking shorter and smaller than the rest, was huddled in the sheltered corner, shoulders shaking and head bobbing as pure misery rattled through with one sob after another. Though the most Bendy had to go on was the sound of the crying, he could say that at least it didn't sound like anyone he'd known, not that the thought made him feel much better.

He wouldn't have wished this on anyone…

When Boris tried to take another step towards the figure, the more paranoid part of Bendy's brain kicked in, stating that this could be some sort of trick, that they were still in a room filled with these things that they weren't even sure were friendly, and that they weren't even sure how to go about helping the distressed figure. Or if it would be safe to interact with them at all. The wolf halted at the sudden resistance in the devil, upset gaze meeting the equally upset but resigned look the smaller toon gave. Buddy's head was still turned in the direction of the crying sounds, though the shift in atmosphere caused the tiny toon to look about, flipping between Bendy and Boris for a moment before huddling closer to the wolf. Glancing down at the movement, Boris finally gave up the ghost and let Bendy steer him and Buddy back to the vent opening.

"Y-, Y'think I should go first?"

"No, pal, I'll go. Somethin' happens, I can move around a lil' easier."

"…What 'bout Buddy?"

The question caused Bendy's planning to stall, the little devil's head flipping back and forth between the attentive if not confused demeanor Buddy was projecting and the yawning darkness of the vent. He did have an idea but given that the tiny toon couldn't exactly see he wasn't sure how well it could be pulled off.

"…He can go right after me, an' then you follow behind him. Just, hold on." The last heralded Bendy actually getting into the vent, taking a look at the flashlight before turning it on and checking what he could of the way ahead. Looked clear enough…

Scooting in a little more, Bendy motioned for Boris to come closer, the wolf figuring out what the smaller toon was trying to do and kneeling in front of the vent to more carefully ease Buddy in.

"'salright, Bud, I'll be right behind you. Just hold on t'Bendy, okay?"

"I gotcha, kid." Bendy added, reaching out to the tiny toon as Buddy shakily felt around in the metal confines of the vent. The minute devil was already scooting in his direction, though Bendy helped things along by steering one of the mitten gloves to clasp onto the back of his jacket, carefully leading Buddy forward so that Boris could join them. It pushed them further into the dark, Bendy both trying to beam the weak light forward and keep an eye on Buddy. Already his nerves were starting to act up, not helped by the scene they'd just left behind. Having to watch Boris's back in this place was bad enough but having a relatively defenseless person to look after made him feel even more tense, not to mention that there was a part of the little devil's mind that felt it was almost certainly futile. Nothing and no one seemed primed to survive in this place…

The somewhat tense atmosphere was broken up by a CLUNK and a hiss of pain, Bendy and Buddy looking behind them to see Boris hunching down, half in the vent and clutching his head.

"Pal, you okay?" Bendy asked, preparing himself to turn around even though it would likely be more than a little uncomfortable in the confined space.

"Yeah…yeah, fine…" The wolf groaned out, shaking off the last of the sting as he climbed fully in. "'S smaller than I thought…"

Maybe the ones upstairs were bigger. Though as Boris crawled in, Bendy could just glimpse two sets of glowing eyes peering into the vent after them. Not taking his eyes off the spot, he tried to keep a calm tone as he asked the wolf another question.

"Y'think you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, just wasn' expectin' that." Boris replied, before he seemed to notice that the little devil's attention was not fully on him. The moment Bendy noticed the wolf's head starting to turn to look behind him, the smaller toon quickly snapped to attention.

"Don-Don't look back, pal, just keep followin' me, alright?" It hurt to say, as a part of Bendy couldn't help but cringe with the thought of what he might be inviting by openly telling the pair that he was in charge of where they were going. Images of the vent collapsing only for them to fall into a black void played through his mind's eye, his attempts to shoo them away only replacing them with the vision of something reaching through a seam or vent opening and trying to drag one of them away, perhaps _**pontificating the little devil's (BURDEN/MONSTER) name as they did**_ -.

Shaking himself with a grimace twisting his face, Bendy tried to crawl further into the vent with Buddy at his side, Boris clumping along behind. In front of them lay a room blocked by a vent covering, the smaller toon entertaining the idea of trying to remove it as they drew closer.

The thought was dashed when the meager light pouring in was blocked by a dark, dripping figure suddenly appearing in front of the vent. With a gasp, Bendy tried to scramble back, Buddy giving a staticky squeak as he was crashed into. Boris was already reaching forward in the cramped space, grabbing at the tiny toon and Bendy even as it became clear to the wolf that backing up would be a lot harder than moving forward.

And, as though the situation were not bad enough, the noise immediately yanked the monster's attention to the vent shaft, and the overlarge, inky hands began to scrabble at the covering with the obvious intention of pulling it off. Gurgling, frustrated noises joined the squishing splats, the cacophony blending with the racket of the toons. It completely broke down what self-control Bendy still had, the little devil's clenched jaw rattling its way loose as an idea exploded into his mind.

"STOP! Stop right now an' go AWAY, 'r so help me-!" The devil's shout immediately made the noise cease, the monster stilling in its efforts to get the vent cover off as Boris finally wiggled forward enough to try to shield Buddy. Even still, Bendy's mind ran with the thoughts racing through his mind, the words tumbling out as though his brain and mouth were on autopilot.

"I'll make sure nobody in this nuthouse can use me, for anythin'! I know you can understand me, so listen up! Go away, 'r I'm runnin' back an' chucking myself down inta th' shaft!"

The monster recoiled at the first implication of what Bendy was threatening, before coming back to approach the covering again. The noises emanating from the inky frame almost sounded desperate, though for the life of him Bendy couldn't bring himself to care or be even the least bit curious. All that really mattered right now was that this thing had been chasing him practically all over the studio, far more persistently than nearly anything else here, and by this point the devil was completely sick and tired of being a god-awful burden on his companions because of it. If he wasn't here, they'd be better off, _**everyone would have been better off**_.

"No, no, I don't care what you want, I don't care if y'think I'm supposta 'save' you all 'r somethin' 'cause I can't! I can't save anybody, I can't help anybody, an' I'm not anybody's lord! I'm just, me! An' that's not what anybody wants!" Bendy's breathing was ragged, frayed temper only growing more incensed at the fact that the monochrome ink monster was not. Going. AWAY!

Flipping himself around, the devil managed to deliver a kick to the vent covering, hollering words that felt like bubbling lava rushing up his throat.

"Go, AWAY! Don't you get it?! I'd rather off myself than be a monster, I'd rather be dead than be anythin' like YOU! LEAVE US ALONE ALREADY!"

The final shout was punctuated with another kick, the clang almost covering the sound of another cry, like rushing water mixed with the faintest suggestion of a distorted voice. By the time Bendy pulled his foot back, the monochrome ink monster was nowhere in sight. Even still, he drew away from the vent, glancing back at Boris and Buddy. Though the tiny toon's face was hard to read in the low light, Bendy could pick out the wide eyes and frozen, glassy stare Boris was beaming his way.

It suddenly dawned on the smaller toon exactly what he'd said, his expression falling from a tense frown as his stomach dropped. Casting about for some way to repair the shattered moment, and finding none, the devil turned to the vent which continued off to their left. Mumbling something about moving on, Bendy started to crawl in that direction, pausing only to be sure that Boris and Buddy were following him. However, with a few feet forward came a fork, Bendy glancing between both ways before glancing back to Boris.

"Wait here." The devil whispered, before crawling as quick as he could to the right. Shining the light around the corner revealed that the vent covering was closed, forcing Bendy to turn around. By the time he managed it, the beam of his flashlight caught Boris peering around the corner, the wolf's eyes still owlishly wide in the light and the expression on the canid face just shy of completely wrecked.

"'salright, pal, I'm here." Bendy whispered, the wolf relaxing a modicum at the reassurance. Albeit, as the little devil scooted by to head to the right he could feel a hand attempting to brush against his coat, far too small to be Boris. Turning his head, Bendy just managed to catch Buddy's outline leaning in his direction, away from the shelter of Boris's hold. The wolf's face was pointed down to look at the tiny toon, and though the flashlight's direction meant that Bendy couldn't see Boris's expression he could tell from the lowered ears that it wasn't exactly positive.

 _ **You did that, you stupid little burden, Joey's lil' monster…**_

Swallowing heavily and feeling a dribble or two of ink make its way down his face, Bendy crawled on. The trio followed the vent down at least two more turns before he came to a stretch with what looked like two paths, one closer and one further away, both leading to the right.

 **CRACK**

Jumping at the noise, Bendy registered an answering thump from Boris as the wolf's jolt made his head connect with the ceiling. Before he could even regather his wits, the same noise rung out again, coming from the passage further away. Gesturing for Boris to stay back, Bendy carefully edged forward. Awkwardly shifting the flashlight, the little devil did his best to peer around the corner while hiding the light so as not to draw attention to himself. At first, he had no idea what it was he was looking at, beyond an open vent cover at the end of the little tunnel. However, at the next inky-black blur of movement and solid **CRACK** against the wall, Bendy felt the pieces click with a sickening shudder. Trying to crawl back as quietly as possible, Bendy couldn't help but entertain the thought that the ink-coated figure wouldn't move from what it was doing even if he'd shouted.

"Bendy?" Boris whispered, just in time for another **CRACK** to echo through the vents. The devil made a fleeting glimpse of eye contact with the wolf, though nerves quickly forced him to head down the other vent. Bendy was glad to hear Boris scramble after him, especially given that if he had to tell the other two toons to come along he wasn't sure his voice would remain steady.

Thankfully, the crashing faded the further they went, though Bendy couldn't help but wonder if that was less because of distance and more because the ink figure doing it had battered itself up too much to continue.

…He tried not to think on that too hard, instead focusing on the open vent sitting just up ahead. The little devil paused for a moment a few feet away, listening though he couldn't hear anything skulking about outside. Climbing carefully out, Bendy looked around at the large room, noticing first the downright enormous statue of himself standing against the back wall, and then the weird little queue in front of closed door, with a plaque next to it reading ' **STORAGE 9** '. Across the room he could see a flight of stairs heading up…somewhere, though what grabbed Bendy's attention about that was the grimy-looking sign plastered just above that. The lighting was too poor for it to be read at first, though as the devil squinted he found he could puzzle out the words.

' **COME UP AND SEE ME** '. Well if that wasn't ominously familiar…

The faint clattering of Boris's taller, lanky frame trying to extricate itself from the vent made the smaller toon turn around, edging forward to pull Buddy to the side so the wolf had room. Boris finally managed to shimmy out and make it to the floor, though the taller toon's ears were still downturned, his eyes flicking about like they couldn't decide whether to make eye contact with the little devil. The sight made Bendy equally anxious, as he wasn't sure how to broach the new rift. At least not in a way that ended well. What was he supposed to say?! 'Sorry I threatened to kill myself'?

 _ **Just make everything worse why don't you…**_

Shaking his head in an effort to dispel both the thought and the worsening mood, Bendy opted to go with what he had since he'd gotten trapped in this godforsaken studio. Keep pressing on. With the sign there was a way forward, at least.

"C-C'mon pal." The little devil stammered, reaching out for Boris's hand as he picked up Buddy with his other arm. The tiny toon was thankfully light, wrapping himself around Bendy's upper body like a clingy koala. Figuring that Buddy might've still been a little rattled by what had happened in the vent, Bendy took an extra moment to gently tousle the minute devil's 'hair'. It was only then that he realized it was taking Boris entirely too long to answer.

"…okay…" It was strange how Boris's deeper-toned voice could sound small, though somehow that was the only descriptor that came to mind when Bendy thought on it. It only made him feel worse, and the little devil put his attention and effort into moving towards the stairs to distract himself from the feeling. He completely missed how Boris's head turned to consider the giant monolith of a statue to their right, something in the wolf's face dropping at the sight. Still, the taller toon let himself be led along, even as his shoulders tensed, his stance hunching somewhat as he felt himself prepare for…what? The somewhat hazy memories couldn't tell him anything, but somehow there was the strong sensation that he and the others shouldn't be near these things. It almost reminded him of-.

 _-the steady creak of a door, though when he looked the door to the office was closed, his efforts to check the closet only drawing his eyes to an odd, dark slab on the outer wall,_ _ **where there should not have been a door**_ _-_

Shuddering at the creeping sensation twitching up his spine, the wolf followed Bendy as the little devil pulled him over to the stairs, eyes finally landing on the sign. 'Come up and see me'? But who would've…?

The presence of another sign a little further up made a suspicion grow in Boris's mind as he read the words, a coy ' **ALMOST THERE** ' emblazoned on the grimy wood. 'Alice'. It had to be. But why did she want them to come up here? The most the wolf could make out was a dome-protected room, though the lack of any internal half-there recollections made him wonder if he'd ever made it over here. Granted, they did have to crawl through a vent from a safehouse to do it, so probably not.

The room itself was a sight, the trio halting as they took in the presence of a large table littered with a sort of model set. The walls were ringed with boards on roller wheels, these also tacked with sheet after sheet of what appeared to be drawings. Catching sight of what looked like a diagram of a train, Bendy squinted at letters inked into the side. ' _Bendyland'_? What the heck was that about?

The little devil was the first to take a step forward, peering at everything from the rushed display to the presence of curtains which acted as the 'door' to the cramped space. With his boldness, Boris followed along, the trio moving to the center of the room.

As he tried to figure out the display on the table, Bendy caught sight of another tape deck sitting out. The little devil threw a glance back in Boris's direction, the wolf engrossed in the papers scattered over one of the boards. Buddy briefly started to squirm, the tiny toon's head sort of turning as though he were taking in the room before huddling into Bendy's coat collar.

"'sokay, Bud, I gotcha." Bendy hummed, adjusting his hold to hopefully help the tiny toon feel more secure and calm. At the low murmur, Boris turned back around, his attention redirecting onto the pair of devil toons.

"What's wrong?" The wolf asked, reaching down to rest a hand on the minute devil's head. Buddy flinched at first before leaning into the contact, though he wouldn't move away from Bendy.

"Dunno, think all this is freakin' him out." It did seem to be the case, though Bendy wasn't sure if it was just the stifling quiet of the workspace, or the residual nerves from what had happened in the vent. Honestly, it could have been both.

In the meantime, Boris's eyes happened to land on the tape deck, the wolf giving it a considering tilt of the head before looking to Bendy. Meeting his eye, the little devil gave the taller toon a nod: _Go ahead_.

" _For forty years, I've built attractions that stagger the imagination! Colossal wonders such as the world has never seen! I have earned my legacy with sweat. But right in front of everyone…high level investors, Wall Street tycoons, the ever-tactless Joey Drew introduces me, the great Bertrum Piedmont, as Bertie! Like I was his child. You may be paying me, Mr. Drew! But you don't own me! I'll build you a park bigger than anything you could ever possibly conceive! But before you go taking any bows, Mr. Drew, know that this grand achievement will belong to me…and to me alone_."

At the first crackling syllable, Buddy jolted in Bendy's arms, the tiny toon's bandaged head swiveling about as he tried to huddle closer to the little devil. Which would have been a feat in and of itself, though Bendy wasn't willing to leave Buddy scrambling. Carefully kneading the top of the small head, they were soon joined by Boris, the wolf kneeling and wrapping the both up in a hug as they listened.

What they heard just sent Bendy's mind of on an internal tangent. A theme park? Joey had wanted to build a theme park of them? It made the little model on the table make a lot more sense now that he thought about it; the drawings were probably blueprints and concept art. Bendy remembered seeing Alice's concept sheets, before the angel was created. However, the man, Bertrum Piedmont, certainly sounded like one heck of a character. Not to mention the fact that he apparently clashed with Joey more than once…

But, while that explained the room, it didn't explain what they were supposed to do here. The fact that nothing had happened by the time the tape deck clicked off just left Bendy feeling more confused. Not that he wasn't glad that there wasn't some trap lying in wait, but why would 'Alice' want them to come here if there was nothing important to find?

While there were no immediate answers, Bendy spotted what might be a hint on the wall, tucked next to one of the boards; a switch with a sign above it reading ' **STORAGE** **9** '.

The room that he had seen coming in. That must've been the way to open the door and go to where 'Alice' was waiting. Though as Bendy tried to pull away from the huddle Boris abruptly jerked, yanking the smaller toon back into the hug with an alarmed gasp.

"Boris?!" Bendy yelped as he was crushed against the wolf's chest, Buddy giving a nearly soundless squeak of his own as he was pinned in the middle. The sound of his name seemed to shake Boris from whatever panic that had gripped him, the taller toon forcibly relaxing though he did not let either of the devil toons go.

"S-Sorry, I…I just…sorry…"

Craning his head back, Bendy could see the wolf's downturned ears and wavery, wretched expression trying to masquerade as a smile.

"I…I dunno what came over me…I'm sorry," Boris mumbled, right before Bendy started to squirm, throwing an arm over the taller toon's shoulder in a half-hug without putting Buddy down. The sudden contact made the wolf freeze for a moment before squeezing the pair tightly in return.

"'m sorry, pal," Bendy murmured, half-smothered in the taller toon's shoulder. "I…I thought I was, I just…I didn' mean t'…"

For a moment Boris couldn't even reply, soundlessly nodding against the top of Bendy's head before he fought past the lump in his throat to speak.

"…please don' do that again, Ben, please…" A shuddery breath broke up the wolf's speech, the lanky frame nearly enfolding around the smaller pair, almost as though he could shut out the reality of the situation if he just tried hard enough. "No more talkin' 'bout dyin', an' no dyin' f'r real, okay? Y'said we were gettin' out, w-we can't do that if…"

Bendy nodded against the wolf's shoulder, his hands clutching desperately at what he could of the other toons.

"I know, pal, I know…'m sorry, I, I didn', I thought I was, I didn' wan' t'be gettin' us all in trouble…"

"You're not!" Boris protested, voice ringing loud in the confined space. Everyone jolted at the sound, the wolf immediately whispering his next words. "You're not, Ben, you're not…"

The little devil wasn't completely sure he believed his friend, though he was hardly going to fight Boris on the issue now. It didn't seem like the time nor the place, especially given that the wolf's shoulders occasionally shook, emotional upset rattling the taller toon's nerves. Though Buddy wasn't trembling, the tiny toon's frame felt as tense as a drum, burrowed into the relative safety Bendy and Boris's combined presence brought.

Even if he wasn't sure that he deserved this, Bendy was loath to break up the moment. Still, they had to keep going, to get Henry back.

"Okay, pal, okay. We gotta get goin' though. We gotta go get Henry."

Though Boris definitely agreed, it took him a few minutes to actually let either of the pair go. The wolf's eyes tracked Bendy as he went around the table, the little devil's attention focusing on the switch. Yep, definitely seemed like the switch for the storage room. That or Bendy was about to make a colossal mistake.

The fear briefly stilled the devil's hand, though he quickly realized that there really couldn't be much else that 'Alice' would want them to find up here. There were no other switches, no more signs, nothing indicating what to do or where to go. This had to be what she wanted them to do.

Whether or not it was a good thing was up for debate.

As the switch was pulled, the sound of something clunking echoed out from the other room, Bendy reasoning that that had to be the sound of the door opening. The little devil came back around, grabbing onto Boris's hand as they went back out to the little landing. Albeit, the door to the storage area was tucked in too far behind part of the wall, making it impossible to see from an overhead angle.

Carefully descending the stairs, the trio walked back out into the little foyer, the sight of the open metal door easing into view. However, no matter how much they squinted, even Boris couldn't see through the all-encompassing black filling the room beyond. It got a little better once they'd gotten in front of it, though Bendy couldn't say that the sight of what looked like an enormous sign made him feel any better.

It only got creepier as they went over the threshold, and the lights in the room came on with a shower of sparks. The sign, now lit up, displayed the moniker ' **BENDY LAND'** , the land part scribbled over with the word ' **HELL'** in blocky scrawl. And there was another statue of the little devil himself to their right, just to make matters worse. Bendy fought with the urge to turn around and walk back out the way he'd come in, the fact that Henry was somewhere in here, with a psychopath 'angel' the only thing keeping him wanting to move forward.

Because it was _**his fault, if he'd never been made then Henry'd be off making cartoons somewhere else and this wouldn't've happened**_ ….

He had to keep going. Boris and Buddy though, they didn't necessarily have to. Not that Bendy dared bring up the idea of the wolf going and hiding away somewhere, given how well that had gone back in the shaft.

"Here, Bud, maybe y'oughta go with Boris ferra bit." Bendy tried, figuring it was better to be safe than sorry. The tiny toon flinched, face crinkling at the sudden offer as his bandaged eyes sightlessly tried to meet Bendy's.

"Bendy?" Boris asked from over the pair's heads.

"It's alright, pal, I just figured it'd be easier if we gotta run 'r somethin'. We don't exactly know what Lil' Miss Gruesome's plannin' in there."

Though Boris still seemed a little hesitant, he had to concede that Bendy had a point. Buddy still took an extra second to give the slightly-taller devil a tight hug, something to which Bendy stiffened a little in surprise at first before accepting.

"'salright, Bud, I'm not goin' anywhere." The reassurance did ease some of the tiny toon's anxiety, though it still took Buddy a moment or two to actually break the hug. Boris gently plucked the minute devil up off the ground, the trio quietly soaking in the brief respite from all the tension and horror. Bendy himself was about to relax, right before he noticed a cage parked right under the theme park sign with a familiar-looking figure of ink sitting atop it.

In a snap decision, Bendy grabbed onto Boris's pant leg, pulling the wolf with him to a flight of stairs leading down to the storeroom proper. As he tried to follow along, the taller toon caught sight of the inky spectator peering at them.

"Sh-Should we…?"

"No, pal, let's, let's just leave 'im alone for now." Bendy mumbled, caught between the slight shame of what he was saying at the twisting anxiety that surfaced when he thought of trying to actively confront one of the figures again. Well, he looked safe where he was, at least, and it hadn't made any noise when they came in so maybe it wanted to stay up there…?

The somewhat weak justification was dropped from the devil's mind as he took in the specifics of the room they'd walked into. While his immediate focus had been the defaced sign, it was far from the only thing packed away in here. The entire place was a mess of shelves, boxes, and various bits and pieces for what looked like either rides or just decorations in general. Otherwise, what was one supposed to do with an Alice face that was easily as tall as Bendy himself?

That wasn't the only oddity, but it stood out to the little devil the most given that it was part of a line prominently hung up on one of the shelves. He caught sight of what looked like another time punch clock on the wall next to the stairs, right near another metal door that was shut tight. Immediately in front of the trio was a collection of what seemed to be game booths, Bendy remembered seeing something like them the few times he'd snuck into fairs. Only thing was, these were shut up tight too.

Albeit, there was one ray of hope in the presence of a tape deck balanced between two of the stalls. Boris had caught sight of it as well, the wolf falling into step with Bendy as they approached and started the recording. Immediately, the familiar tones of Wally Franks filled the yawning room.

" _These guys down in the warehouse get to play games all day while I'm stuck cleanin' up after 'em. They kept locking themselves out of their own back room. So I says, look guys, I says, you're smart, right? Here's an idea! Why not rig these games up to knock open the door if you win? It'll be fun for you guys, and it saves me the trip down here every day. They went for it like a dog to pot roast. I tell you! If these guys don't start realizing who the real genius is, I'm outta here_."

"…These're the games we're supposed t'play?" Boris asked once the recording had finished, Bendy's own thoughts mirroring the wolf's confusion. Partly just to see if he could, the little devil reached up and tried to move the boards closing the stalls off. Granted, his arm strength wasn't much to write home about; they barely twitched. Boris gave it a shot too, though couldn't get much purchase either. Seemingly to help out, Buddy reached out from his huddle in Boris's arm to push, the skinny arms trembling with the effort. Not that it wasn't appreciated, the other two members of their trio chuckling a little, Boris even ruffling the tiny toon's 'hair'.

"Good try, Bud." Bendy quipped, Buddy's head turning between both the wolf and the devil with an earnest if unsure smile on his face. However, while the antics were funny, it left them back at square one with the stalls.

"Maybe there's a button 'r somethin' t'get 'em open…" Bendy thought aloud, moving away from the games to consider the rest of their surroundings. There was a little space running in between one of the towering shelves and what looked like a pile of sandbags, Bendy tugging on Boris's arm to get his attention.

"C'mon, let's see what's over here."

"Sure, Ben. 'm right behind you." The taller toon murmured back, the pair stepping carefully through the space and into a sort of aisle running through the center of the room. It was by far the biggest, most central path of the room, with smaller aisles leading off to the two corners of that side of the room, as well as another door set in between. Still, these looked shut tight too, so Bendy didn't look too closely at any of it just yet. The aisle was far more of a feast for the eyes anyway, with what looked like a small smattering of cartoony carousel horses against one of the shelves. To their right was a collection of what were probably garbage cans, except the top was Bendy's head with a gaping 'mouth' for trash.

It was something that Boris passed a quizzical stare to, while Bendy just felt an exasperated frown coming on. Surely there could have been a design that didn't make it look like he was eating garbage…

Completely confused by the quiet, Buddy fidgeted in Boris's arms, the tiny toon's bandaged eyes sightlessly 'peering' around before settling on something against the back wall. Almost as though the thing had a miasma unto itself, Buddy shuddered, huddling back into the secure safety Boris offered.

"Bud? What's wrong?" The wolf asked, picking up on the sudden fear emanating from the smallest of the trio. Following where Buddy's head was pointed, the taller toon couldn't help a ripple of anxiety at the sight of a what looked like an actual building in the back of the storeroom. Bendy too caught onto the change in mood, the little devil squinting at the house-like structure at first before certain features started to become more and more clear, hinting at the true nature of the apparent attraction.

Adding to the dingy, unkept look was a plank or two hanging from the lip of the porch roof, almost set up to look like teeth. The position of the shuttered windows on either side resembled eyes, a piece in the middle looking like a nose. The sharpened edges to the aforementioned planks gave the appearance of a sharp toothed smile, the makeshift maw's creepiness only dulled by the fact that the big bay doors leading to the inside were closed.

With nowhere else to really go, the trio edged towards the haunted house, Bendy realizing with an internal shiver that two bits of wood placed on either side of the little step leading up were actually supposed to be gravestones. Of course, the one that Joey finished in its entirety was the haunted house, they just couldn't have something nice, like a carousel, the horses were even here…

Granted, Bendy reasoned as he stopped his thoughts cold, with everything that this place had somehow managed to completely ruin he wasn't sure he'd trust it with a carousel. He wouldn't even trust a tea-cup ride if it was inside the studio….

"What're the odds that we havta go there?" Bendy whispered, frowning as he turned his attention from the unwelcoming, spooky design of the attraction to the other two toons. At the very idea that this would be where they'd have to go, Boris flinched, the fur around the wolf's head, shoulders, and tail fluffing out for a moment before he managed to curb it.

"Y'think so?"

"Has t'be. It's too big, too obvious." Bendy reasoned, though as he spoke he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, the little devil was surprised to see the stalls opening, the lights inside coming on like an unspoken invitation. Tapping Boris on the shoulder, Bendy pointed in the direction of the newly up-and-running games, the wolf's face miring with suspicion and confusion as he took in the strangely opportune shift in their fortunes. Glancing between each other, both couldn't help but come to the same conclusion; this was definitely a little too opportune.

Was 'Alice' listening in? Able to see them in some way? The thought made Bendy back away from the imposing image of the haunted house, eyes flicking around as he tried to spot some sign of…something. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should be looking for cameras, they weren't exactly around back when the studio was running, but then again, neither were tape decks.

Granted, from what Bendy remembered cameras had blinking lights and shiny bits, and he wasn't seeing either of those anywhere around the room…

It left them in an obvious position, one that Bendy wasn't sure he wanted to be in as it felt like they were being herded. To what, he didn't know, and wasn't certain he wanted to find out either.

But it was the only way forward, the only way so far to Henry.

Boris too seemed to be considering their options, the wolf's expression contorting with the same off-put confusion as he considered the now-open and lit up stalls. As Bendy came around to stand in front, the taller toon's gaze flicked down to him.

"How d'ya think…?"

"Dunno, might be her, might not be." The devil answered back, quietly studying what he could of the games. The first thing in front of them was one of those ones with the hammer and bell, a test-your-strength type thing. "Maybe y'oughta do that one, pal."

"Huh?" Boris asked at first, somewhat thrown off by the change in topic before he realized what Bendy was talking about. "Oh! Oh, okay, sure."

It was only when they actually made it over to the game that Boris remembered a very important obstacle, namely the tiny toon still held in his arms.

"It's okay, pal, I'll take 'im." Bendy cut in, noticing the dilemma. Gratefully, the wolf turned to the little devil, though not without first letting the sightless Buddy know what was about to happen.

"'s alright, Bud. I'll be right back, okay? Just stay with Bendy."

Peering up at the Boris's face, Buddy gave an obedient nod to the instructions, letting the taller toon plop him down on the floor and shuffle his way to Bendy's waiting arms. For the moment, the little devil let Buddy simply nestle himself into his coat, though when the tiny toon's face briefly rubbed into the rougher material Bendy was a little worried to see Buddy's bandage start to slip.

"Ah, kid, hold on a second…" The little devil started, belatedly figuring he should probably explain when the feeling of fingers touching the upper part of his face caused Buddy to flinch. "Sorry, Bud, 'm just gonna fix your bandage, it got a lil' messed up…"

Noticing that Boris had stopped what he was doing, the oversized hammer in hand as he worriedly turned back, Bendy quickly gestured over Buddy's head that he had it handled. When Buddy, either wondering where the other hand had gone or somehow picking up on the quiet, started to turn in Boris's direction Bendy hurriedly turned his attention back to the minute devil.

"Bud, no, don't move, okay? It's gotta be over your eyes. Just hold still ferra minute…" The slight admonishment provoked a shudder from the tiny toon, but Buddy ultimately did as he was told. Bendy was able to get the wrapping back on in just a second, deciding to throw the skittish devil a bone. He wasn't entirely sure he liked the idea of someone being that nervous around him…

"All done. See, easy stuff, right?"

The tiny toon's shy smile and thumbs-up was definitely more than a little relieving, though the moment was immediately shattered when Boris brought the hammer down on the button. The little metal piece flew up into the bell, the ding ringing through the storeroom and echoing off the walls. The sound made Buddy nearly leap into the air, Bendy jolting as he pulled the tiny toon into a protective hug. Boris was equally startled by the noise, the wolf outright dropping the enormous hammer with an equally loud crash.

The trio were stiff as boards as the shock of the moment registered and processed, Bendy managing to snap out of it first as he gave a shaky laugh.

"Wow, pal, didn' know y'had it in you."

Boris was about to respond when a voice filtered down from somewhere in the room, the horribly familiar tones making all three toons jump and press together.

 _ **"Tell me, are you boys having fun? Not to worry, I'm sure the reunion can wait."**_

"I'm sorry, apparently we can't get anywhere without playin' th' stupid games, 'cause you wanted us t'come in here, you-." Bendy hissed out, voice growing more incensed as he went on. As the little devil's voice melted into an angry grumble, Buddy shakily burrowed himself into the relative safety of Bendy's worn coat, tucking himself under one of the flaps of cloth. Though he did pass a somewhat surprised look at the tiny toon, Bendy still wrapped an arm around Buddy's shoulders. As the three looked about they quickly came to the realization that they'd need to go through all the stalls to move forward.

The next one didn't have anything worth much consideration, only a cutout, a barrel, and a box, though the one after that had what Bendy recognized as a throwing game. Three stacks of bottles were set up on three stands, with three balls resting on the shelf in front. If the little devil was remembering right they probably had to knock them all down to win.

"Here, I'll get this one," the smaller toon murmured, nudging Buddy over to Boris so that he could play. Grabbing one of the balls, Bendy shuffled for a second before pitching it at the stack furthest to the left. The ball crashed through the center of the little pyramid, the bottles flipping into the air and one even clattering into the stack next to it. That partly came down too, the top and left-hand bottles crashing to the floor. But the right one still stood, and Bendy narrowed his eyes as he considered the new situation. He had two more bottles, two more tries.

Well, at least there was less to knock down…

Though his next pitch narrowly missed the singular bottle, Bendy managed to get lucky in that the ball rebounded off the back wall and slammed into his target. Sharing a glance with Boris, the little devil flashed a hopefully-more-confident-than-it-felt grin and was met with an equally shaky smile. Moving onto the next stack, Bendy's throw only took out the top bottle. Though before anyone could take the time to panic or think about what to do, a little chime sounded from somewhere in the stall.

"Was, did we do that?" Boris asked, Bendy peering about before just deciding to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I dunno. We'll do th' next one an' if the doors don't open, we'll come back."

The next one turned out to be a target-shooting game with a sepia-toned BB gun. The instant Bendy picked the gun up, music started to play from somewhere in the stall. A moment later the targets all lowered from their ready positions, only for a few to rise back upright. The sight quickly keyed the devil into what he had to do.

His first shot definitely missed, the fact that the targets rapidly lowered for different ones to rise only made the smaller toon jumpier. He did manage to hit two, though one, with an 'X' scrawled over it, made a harsh buzz instead of a cheery ding. A tiny bit of motion at the top of the game drew Bendy's attention to a sort of gauge horizontal to the game, with a miniature, running version of himself moving forward with the clean target, and back with the crossed out one.

Alright, well, at least he had the rules down now. Not that it helped him in time, as even with Bendy's best efforts he was only able to get three more before a louder version of the harsh buzzer sounded. The miniature version of him moved back to the start, and the targets all raised again into the ready position. For a long moment the devil stood there, both not quite sure what had happened and wondering if he had blown his chance. But, that couldn't have been right, because Wally said that the workers rigged the games, and it wouldn't make sense for it to just lock up after one try.

The thought was only confirmed as, about five seconds later, the music started up again and the targets collectively lowered. This time Bendy was ready, the little devil raising the BB gun as he carefully watched the stall. When they came up, his hands were marginally steadier as he tried for the unmarked targets. This time, he certainly managed to get a lot more, though Bendy was cringing in preparation for the buzzer when he noticed that the little gauge was only about half full.

Meaning he was completely stunned when, instead of the sharp reprimand, he instead got a cheery bell chiming from somewhere in the stall.

"Huh?"

"D'ya do it?" Boris asked, the wolf peering about at the game as though it might spray confetti with a sign popping out declaring a more definitive victory. However, while it did neither of those things, the sight of a door on the left sliding open was enough of a confirmation for Bendy. Carefully putting the BB gun down, the devil zipped over to the doorway, eager to get things moving.

Bendy's head of steam abruptly reversed itself into Boris's legs when he caught sight of something tucked away in the corner wearing an ominous caricature of his own face. Boris's grunt at the impact choked off into a yelp, the wolf grabbing the devil while trying to not drop Buddy. The trio ended up in a sort of haphazard huddle, Bendy half in Boris's arms while having at least a foot on the ground. Boris himself was nearly bent over trying to hold onto both Bendy and Buddy, the latter curled up in a ball as he awaited some snarling oncoming horde.

Except, there was nothing. No sounds, hardly even any sign of anything living about to break forth and chase after the trio. Instead, it was almost eerily quiet.

Peering through the door, Bendy and Boris were able to get a better look at the creepy figures and realized that they were costumes. Costumes of the lil' devil himself, who definitely wasn't too sure about the likeness.

"Why would you look at that and think it was okay? Why would you think that kids would wanna see that?!" Bendy rambled to himself, fingers clenching at the metal doorframe as he peered at the creepy masks. Boris, while keeping a hand on Bendy's shoulder, tried to peer around for the reason that the room was important, apart from storage.

"I-I dunno." The wolf offered, his eyes quickly lighting on a switch next to the costume rack. "Ben, y'think that's what we gotta get in here?"

"Wh-oh." Bendy hummed, immediately catching onto what the taller toon was driving at. "I think so. Let's just hurry up an' get it so we can get outta here."

Though as the devil skittered across the room to actually flip the switch, he noticed that there was nothing in the room that it was linked to. There weren't any lights, there weren't any other doors, and unless there was some trap hidden away somewhere, it seemed like the lever was just there to be there.

Not to mention that it being flipped changed absolutely nothing, despite Bendy cringing at the anticipation of something going wrong, of all hell breaking loose. Instead, the room remained spookily quiet, Boris staring across the room at the devil with owlishly wide eyes as he too waited for something to happen. Clutched to the wolf's chest, Buddy was tense as a compressed spring, head pointed in Bendy's direction as the tiny toon's tail flicked nervously about.

But still, nothing changed, not even a click of some mechanism releasing as Bendy made his way across the room and stepped over the threshold back into Storage 9. But, probably because he was definitely more than a little antsy thanks to that experience, Bendy did notice a cable running out from a spot next to the door. Immediately, he thought of the switch, figuring that whatever they must've turned on had to be at the end of it.

"Boris," Bendy whispered, continuing once he had the wolf's attention. "I got an idea. Let's see where this goes to."

Though the wolf nodded and followed after the little devil easily enough, he couldn't help but pass one look back to the creepy costume rack, noticing how one of the frozen, wire-stretched smiles had a splotch of ink running down from its forehead.

The cable led them to the right-hand side of the haunted house, and a switchboard with four levers lined up on it. Above the one labeled simply '1' was a blinking light, inviting the trio to pull it.

"Oh, I get it."

"What?" Boris whispered, completely thrown off by Bendy's musing. Snapping out of his thoughts, the little devil hastened to explain.

"There's four rooms we opened up with th' games, each one's gotta switch. We pull all four of the switches, an' we can get in." The smaller toon finished, pointing at the haunted house they were standing next to in emphasis. Still, comprehension of the apparent plan didn't ease his nerves any. It still felt like this was building into something horrible.

Albeit, his gesture did draw Bendy's eye to another door, this one next to the hammer game they'd played earlier. Maybe that would be where they'd have to go next…?

Well, the smaller toon reasoned as he reached for the lit-up switch, only one way to find out.

Once the lever was pulled, the blinking light immediately flicked off, Bendy and Boris's heads turning at a flicker of motion off to their left. Turned out, the little devil had been entirely correct, the metal door was creakily easing itself open.

The space beyond was dark, though Bendy could make out a light source flickering from somewhere inside. But as his and Boris's feet crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them, trapping them in.

With a gasp, Bendy whirled around and tried to push, bracing his whole weight against the door. Even Boris's attempt didn't do anything, the wolf setting Buddy down as he shoved at the metal slab.

"It's stuck…!" Boris groaned, though he still pressed his back to the door and tried to force it to rise.

"Okay, okay, don't panic, maybe there's another door somewhere, or a switch or-!"

"Buddy!" The taller toon suddenly yelped, leaping away from the door to dart forward.

"Buddy! Wait, what about-?" Bendy's question choked itself off as he turned to see Boris sweep the tiny toon away from a railing, where Buddy had been leaning precariously through the wooden supports.

"Buddy!" The pair hissed as one, though both had entirely different thoughts on where to go next after that.

"-don't do that, you'll fall-!"

"-are you alright?"

"-at were you doin', don't wander off-!"

It really only struck the pair, first and foremost, that the frenetic voices probably weren't helping Buddy given how the tiny toon was curled up into a shivering little ball, and secondly, they weren't alone in the room. The railing that Buddy had been near was overlooking a lower part to the room, where there was a trash can sitting in between a doorway and a hall leading to somewhere under the catwalk. The contents of the trash can were on fire, and gathered around it were…

The faint garbling of noise drifting up from the huddled trio of figures snapped Bendy out of his daze, the little devil drawing back into the shadows of the catwalk. Though, for the moment, it did not seem as though they were in danger of being found out. The Butcher Gang seemed entirely engrossed in the fire, huddling around the burning trash can like a strange sort of horror-filled western parody.

"'sokay, Bud. Deep breaths, alright?" Boris was murmuring to Buddy, gently cajoling the tiny toon into a calmer state of mind. The wolf's eyes glanced up at the flicker of motion Bendy made as he looked back, reading into the troubled frown playing across the little devil's pale face.

Bendy shifted as Boris gestured for him to come over, his hand knocking over an empty soup can that was set on the railing. The clatter it made as it hit somewhere down below caused the Butcher Gang toons to leap to life, hobbling away from the fire.

Though they only went to the source of the noise before turning and heading back to the flickering flames. The sight, though fleeting, was giving Bendy an idea, but he wanted to be sure of something. Signaling for Boris to be quiet, he hurried along the catwalk, pausing briefly at a set of stairs leading down to the lower floor. Taking note, the little devil kept going, around the loop and past what looked like a major ink leak to the other side of the room. All along the railing were more empty soup cans scattered here and there, the catwalk ending with a Bendy statue nearly opposite the door. Still, none of it helped him get it open again…

Though, Bendy could say he had an idea of what he was supposed to do, not that he'd enjoy it much. There were still those two areas downstairs to explore, after all.

Only issue was, he'd have to get past the Butcher Gang to do it. He wasn't too worried, as the last few minutes had provided him with something he could use, but Bendy could still say that it wasn't a plan he was looking forward to. There were hardly any backups if he screwed it up, that was for sure.

The real issue was…

"Boris, I know how we're gonna get outta here."

"Y'do?" The wolf whispered back, Bendy catching sight of the taller toon shifting about out of the corner of his eye. Still, he couldn't help but want to bite his tongue at the thought of where this conversation would go next.

"Yeah, but I think it'd be easier if you an' Buddy wait up here."

"Ben, no, different idea-."

"Don't have one. This is th' best we got."

"I'm not lettin' y'go off on your own!" Boris nearly shouted, shrinking once the volume of his cry registered and made both devil toons cringe with Bendy hurriedly gesturing for him to keep it down.

"Look, just listen, okay? I gotta go down there, but if I just try t'walk in, they're gonna hear me. That's what th' cans 'r for, t'make noise an' draw them away so I can slip by. It'll work, but it'll be hard with more than one guy. Besides, y'know I can sneak around pretty great, y'don' gotta worry about me, pal."

Bendy felt like he had a point, but for all his good arguments and generally confident façade, Boris still looked dishearteningly unconvinced. Alright, well, there was one other side to this that probably needed to be brought up…

"An' Boris, somebody needs t'stay up here with Buddy. 'm not bringin' him down there with that mess, an' if anyone can keep 'im outta trouble…" Though the somewhat knowing smile and open-armed gesture indicating the wolf did tease a small, reciprocating grin from Boris, the taller toon was still hesitant to let Bendy go.

"Pal, it's gonna be fine. I'll be there an' right back, you'll barely even know I was gone. An' you can keep watch from up here, no problem."

Boris still hardly looked ready for what Bendy was suggesting, the wolf's downturned ears and wide eyes flicking between the devil and the little gathering near the fire. But Bendy, for his part, had already made up his mind. And the longer they hung about, the more likely the situation could easily take a change for the worst.

"It'll be fine, pal." The little devil whispered, heading back around Boris to where he'd seen the stairs. On the way, his smaller, gloved hands snaked out to grab the occasional empty can perched on the railing. Eventually he stood at the top of the steps, peering down at the trio gathered 'round the trash fire. Well, at the very least Bendy could say he had an idea of how to proceed, he just wasn't sure where he wanted to proceed to.

From the top of the stairs, the little devil could see that there were two nooks on the far side of the room, one through a doorway on the left and the other at the end of a small corridor on the right. Peering around didn't reveal any sign of a switch down the hall, maybe there'd be something through the doorway that he could use…

For a moment, Bendy took aim from the top landing before he took stock and realized that he should probably get a little closer. Edging carefully down the steps, Bendy paused on the last and carefully considered what he wanted to do. Winding up, he pitched a can which sailed across the room, landing just inside the threshold of the hallway on the right. As it clanged against the floor, the three zombie toons leapt into action and hobbled off in the direction of the noise. Just refraining from using any toonspeed, Bendy darted across the room and around some sort of pump machine, only just hearing the sounds of the mismatched toons' garbling coming back as he crossed the threshold.

Hurrying down the little corridor, the little devil's steps slowed as he came upon a grated-in room just off the main hall. Inside was another one of the inky figures, with despairing sobs rattling loose from the hunched, dripping frame. Even though there was a part of Bendy that whispered to not get too close, a part of him still felt sympathy for its misery. Though as the devil edged closer to the grate the sobs hitched, tapering off slightly as the figure began to pull out of its huddle. Once Bendy realized that the head was turning in his direction he was off like a shot, dashing around a corner and pressing himself to the wall as he listened for any sign of pursuit.

But, there was none. The sobs simply started up again in earnest. Biting down on a wave of recriminating guilt, Bendy feebly reasoned that he didn't know what its intentions might have been, or whether or not he could have actually done anything that wouldn't have endangered himself.

 _You don't exactly have the best track record of helping…_

Shoving the thought away, Bendy took stock of the space he'd ended up in, finding that it was a workroom with tables and shelves. Odds and ends were scattered about, though what got Bendy's interest was the switch on the far side and a tape-deck sitting on the edge of the table nearest to him.

Without really thinking on it, and with curiosity overriding his caution, the little devil reached out and pressed the play button, only realizing his mistake as the sound of the recording rang out in the small room. At first, Bendy tried to smother the speaker of the tape-deck with his sleeve, worrying that the sound would bring the Butcher Gang.

But, when a moment or two went by with no noise from the main room, he opted to just let it play.

 _"The only thing that works around here is my ulcer. Half these people don't know a wrench from a dang steamroller. Buncha morons is what they are. Spend their day in the warehouse arguing over who's supposed to be doin' what or playin' them silly games. Still, I'm not complainin'. I get most of my time to myself. Suits me just fine. Only thing that bothers me is that mechanical demon in the corner. Bertrum's been working on it for a month now. Says it will walk someday and maybe dance. All it does now is give me the creeps. I swear, when my back's turned, that thing's movin'_."

The devil was content to just listen, though the mention of a 'mechanical demon' drew his eyes to the hulking, torn-up shape on a work bench in the corner. Though the animatronic was in heavy disrepair, a lot of the shell which would have the more trademark monochrome torn away, the metallic grin was easy enough to pick out. The sight was not quite like the frozen, empty-eyed smile of the cutouts, but it made Bendy feel plenty off-put just the same.

There was also the fact that there was a vice attached to the same table, and the animatronics' left arm was compressed and severed just above the wrist. Looking around the room as he pulled the switch told Bendy that the missing piece was nowhere to be found, ringing more than a little odd though there were several things here that were doing the same.

For starters, he didn't recognize the voice, but the lady in question sounded relatively sane. Maybe it was just the overall creepy look to the thing that had made her feel like it was moving? Bendy could see that, it definitely had that kind of feeling to it.

Well, maybe it might've also been the partially painted duck head sitting back on the worktable. That coupled with the robot grinning at you probably would give anyone the creeps. Though, given everything that was wrong in here, a living animatronic probably wouldn't have been too out of place.

That thought was what made Bendy back out of the room, keeping a careful eye on what he could see of the hulking metallic frame, as though it might make some precursory twitch. Reversing into the hall, the little devil's attention was sharply divided between both his inert lookalike and the crying inky figure still behind the grate. Moving a little faster, Bendy nearly made it to the end of the hallway before he remembered what was out in the big room. Darting to stand against the inner wall, the little devil felt his heart pounding in his ears as he tried to listen, to hear whether or not he was a hairsbreadth away from being found out.

Not that merely listening told him too much, though if he were to be exceptionally paranoid, he would say that one of the sources of the trademark garbling did sound too close for comfort.

At least, until something metallic clattered to the floor on the far side of the room, the Butcher Gang hobbling away from the trash can to investigate. Bendy turned and was almost about to make a break for the stairs when he realized with a cold snap that he couldn't. The shuffling, mismatched trio had hobbled nearly to the foot of the steps, a quick glance upward telling Bendy that Boris had realized his mistake as a look of panic had etched itself onto the wolf's face.

Not that Bendy had long to decide what to do with the Butcher Gang threatening to come back. The smaller toon made a precarious dash alongside the trash can, feeling the heat briefly lick at his legs before he all but threw himself down the hallway. Pressing his back to the wall, Bendy slid further and further away from the mouth of the corridor, not stopping until he was in a small nook tucked in under the catwalk above.

And, in the nook, lit with the flickering bulb of an emergency light, was another switch stuck right next to a shelf with a few empty cans.

For a moment, all Bendy could do was stare. Two switches? Where the heck did this one connect to? He'd gotten the one for the door to this room, right?

Hadn't he?

Well, on the off-chance this was connected to something he, Boris, and Buddy would need, Bendy decided to take the leap of faith and flip it. For a brief instant, the little devil thought he could feel something vibrating in the wall, or perhaps the floor, that died down just as quickly as it started. Freezing in place, he listened to see if he had either gotten the attention of the Butcher Gang, or something else that might be wandering around. But, in the sort-of lull, all he heard was,

"Bendy? Bendy!"

The strangled whisper that was teetering on the edge of quiet was immediately familiar, Bendy quickly skirting back out to see Boris leaning over the railing above with Buddy 'peering' through alongside. Relief flooded the wolf's face at the sight of the smaller toon, briefly tapering down as Bendy gestured for silence. Though Boris did nod, his next act of kneeling down and easing an arm to reach for him was another one that Bendy had to strike down, mostly on the grounds that unless the little devil had something to stand on he wasn't going to be able to reach. Demonstrating that with an upraised arm and a dry stare, Bendy let some of his frustration fall when Boris drew back, looking crestfallen.

Putting on some more of that can-do bravado, Bendy pointed to himself and back out to the big room, in the direction of the staircase. Flashing the wolf and minute devil a thumbs up, the smaller toon briefly ducked back into the nook to grab a couple cans.

Coming back to the big room with a somewhat calmer state of mind also let Bendy notice that there were more nooks under the catwalk, occupied by…what were those, Alice Angel heads?

Well, two out of three, one seemed to be missing. Not that there was much he could do about that, Bendy shoving aside the observation as he geared up to throw. The can sailed across the room, clattering to the floor somewhere between the machine and the doorway. Definitely not perfect, but Bendy was more than ready to run for his life by this point. His path across made something of a spinning twirl as he let fly with the final can, only realizing where it had landed when he heard a sizzling crash. Thankfully though the Butcher Gang's first recourse was to start snarling and move to protect their fire; they hadn't enough wits about them to realize where the projectile had come from.

Not that Bendy realized immediately off, the devil briefly freezing on the stairs as he tried to figure out whether or not he was about to be chased down.

When it didn't seem like any pursuit was incoming, Bendy let out a steadying breath, his eyes drifting until he spotted something about the empty nook nestled in between the pair of Alice Angel heads. Blinking a bit to be sure of what he was seeing, the little devil gave the entire scene a nonplussed stare before deciding to drop it and heading up the stairs.

Scrawled on the back wall of the storage nook were the letters I, O, and U, the entire thing giving Bendy the mental image of 'Alice' writing that after making off with the apparently missing Alice Angel prop. He wasn't sure if that was funny or just plain odd.

Not that the little devil really had time to think it over, given that a completely relieved Boris and reassured Buddy greeted him once he'd gotten back up to the catwalk. Accepting the hug the wolf offered on the grounds that it would calm them all down some, Bendy easily fell into step next to Boris as they headed back to the door.

Which thankfully was open now. Though as Bendy walked through he passed a glance back and noticed something about the room that made him briefly stop and stare, just to be sure that he was in fact seeing what he was seeing. Noticing that the smaller toon had halted, Boris turned back too, Buddy's expression falling worriedly at the pause.

"Bendy?" The quiet apprehension in the wolf's voice quickly got the little devil's attention, which made him figure that perhaps he ought to explain.

"I just realized there's a giant arm on th' ceilin'."

"…Y'didn't see that?"

"No." Bendy huffed, turning back to Boris with his hands on his hips in a mock-affronted manner. "We can't all have awesome eyes that let us see in th' dark, pal."

"Naw, guess we can't." The wolf drawled, easily reading the more playful jab in the little devil's voice. In the taller toon's arms, Buddy briefly considered his own limb, somehow radiating a sense of disbelief at the idea that any one part of a body could be 'giant'. Noticing the shifting, Boris quietly ruffled the tiny toon's 'hair', easily doing the same to Bendy once he came within reach. Though Bendy waved the wolf's hand away, he couldn't help the smile that flitted over his face at the familiar gesture.

Flipping the next switch next to the haunted house, the trio was temporarily stymied as there were no other obvious doors for them to go to. There was one in between the shelves on the opposite end of the room, but that remained shut tight.

It was only when they traveled all the way down, to the opposite side of the entryway to Storage 9, that they found where they were supposed to go next. Tucked away in the corner was a door with a sign above it reading **ATTRACTION STORAGE** , wide open in invitation. Glancing between Boris and the entryway, Bendy started to inch closer to peer inside, maybe get some hint of what was coming.

But, for all his attempts, his view was blocked by the hallway curving up ahead, all he could see being a small corner with an emergency light. Still, he was loath to cross the threshold, just in case the door decided to close again.

Though with nowhere else to go, and no other options, Bendy hardly had much of a choice. As Boris noticed that the little devil was inching through the doorway, the wolf gave a choked yelp and hurried after.

Bendy whirled around, about to gesture for Boris to go back before he noticed that the door had remained open. And, with no clanking or rumbling from any of the mechanisms, it looked like it was going to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

A little more emboldened, the trio continued on. Though as they turned the corner, their progress was immediately halted by the presence of a Butcher Gang toon lying against the wall across the room. It was the one with the spring-arm, and as they edged closer it became clear that the mismatched creature was not about to spring to life. In fact, as Bendy got a better look at it, he thought that its neck had been broken judging from the sharp angle it was hanging at. Next to it was another emergency light, the flickering electricity illuminating a poster on the wall above. It depicted a sort of picture of the little devil himself, though he was holding a placard in front of his face reading **WORK HARD WORK HAPPY** , practically signed by the trademark leering grin at the bottom.

What could have done that? Or more rather, who? Immediately 'Sammy' came to mind, but he didn't seem to need to touch something in order to hurt it. The only two that Bendy could think of were the monochrome ink monster, and 'Alice', though neither seemed to fit. The lack of loose ink anywhere, especially on the body, hinted that the ink monster hadn't been down this way, and 'Alice' probably would have been able to do a lot more than simply break the Butcher Gang toon's neck.

Not to mention, Bendy realized as he let his eyes wander away, the door had likely been closed before. Meaning this had to be sitting here for a good while.

He'd just caught sight of some cutouts lined up on the wall behind him when his eyes landed on a shape to his right, sitting out in what looked like a larger room. Though there was a good-sized smokescreen billowing up, and the space wasn't well-lit, Bendy could make out what looked like a metallic bar of some kind. Maybe a weird pump machine or something…?

Boris could probably see better, the thought of the wolf drawing Bendy's eyes back to his pal. The taller toon had just noticed the same thing the little devil had, though as his feet started to slide forward to get a closer look his attention was diverted by the fact that Buddy had jumped and was trying to burrow his face into the wolf's front.

"Bud, wassamatter?" Boris murmured, doing his best to comfort the tiny toon while not letting on too much about how the feeling of physical contact against his scar was making him wince. Bendy however didn't have blindness as a barrier, and noticed straight away.

"Kiddo, it's okay. We just gotta find a lever an' we'll be gone." Bendy didn't want to say something like 'quick an' easy', on account of the fact that this place seemed hellbent on proving that notion wrong and he hardly wanted to jinx their apparent luck. Still, while the words did seem to ease Buddy from his earlier fright, the minute devil still pressed himself into the wolf's front, almost as though he were trying to hide.

Maybe it was just nerves. At this point, Bendy could hardly say he blamed Buddy for that; this was almost too quiet, and there were no levers in sight. But, there was still the whole big room to examine, so with only the faintest of hesitation, the pair went through the small entryway out into the space proper.

The first thing that Bendy realized was that he was looking at a completely intact theme park ride. He knew he'd seen something like it before, but never got to go on it. Granted, if there was going to be anything in a room labeled ' **ATTRACTION STORAGE** ', it might as well be a ride.

There was a large piece in the middle, with arms propped on the floor all about. Though in retrospect, they hadn't stored this thing too carefully, given how a few of the arms were lying on their side, the carts simply pressed slanting into the floor. Bendy might not have been an expert, but surely that couldn't be good for them over long periods of time…

Looking around revealed that the room had more than just the ride, the walls littered with boxes stacked at most two high, an occasional shelf set in with what looked like duck heads here and there. Letting his gaze travel higher, Bendy was just able to see posters hanging on the upper part of the walls, the print and pictures big enough that he could make out what was on them in the semi-darkness.

They were ride names. Or had to be, judging from the pictures. **MAD HOUSE. WHIPPER-WILL-O. DARL'N DUCK BOATS. DEVIL'S CAROUSEL. BUDDY BORIS RAILWAY. ANGRY ANCHOR'S BATTLESHIP EXTRAVAGANZA**. Wow, really going all out on that last one, though Buddy and Boris might have gotten a kick out of the railway ride. Though before Bendy could think to point it out, he noticed that the wolf was reaching for a tape deck perched on a work table in front of them.

"Hold on, pal, let's look around first." Bendy murmured, the gentle whisper drawing Boris's hand away.

"Okay. D'ya see the lever anywhere?"

"No, not yet." The little devil replied, starting to head along the side of the room and giving a Bendy statue tucked into the wall a wide berth. Though his feet took him to stand in front of a completely unsettling bench that looked like the upper head of a cartoon clown with its open mouth being the seat. Given that there was an emergency light turned on it, Bendy could see this thing in its full, discomforting glory. As could Boris, who halted next to the little devil a moment later. Buddy, who could see nothing, frowned and blindly tried to peer in the direction of the wolf's face and about where Bendy was standing as he tried to understand what was happening.

"…Why." The quiet murmur ripped Boris's eyes away from the bench, the taller toon trying to get a look at Bendy's face to see what he was talking about.

"Huh?"

"In a theme park, with kids, families 'n such, why on earth would'a want somethin' that looks like half a nightmare and half a freak show reject?"

At the word 'reject', Buddy gave a small flinch, face crumpling into a frown. Neither Bendy or Boris saw, both more or less engrossed in the topic of the bench and the apparent suitability for a children's theme park.

"Dunno. Maybe it'd look better, once it was cleaned up."

"Would you sit on that? Even if it was cleaned up?"

"Maybe…"

"No, no y'wouldn't, pal. Don' lie, you'd have t'be pretty worn out t'consider it. Besides," Bendy whispered, shielding the thought behind a gloved hand. ", it's down here in this nuthouse, I ain't takin' a chance on it."

"Y'think it'll come t'life?" Boris half-yelped, only just managing to keep his voice at a low church murmur as his eyes blew wide. Bendy hadn't initially been considering the idea, but now that the wolf had voiced it the little devil couldn't help a suspiciously wary frown as he considered the bench in a new light.

"I don't…know…?"

The lilting question of a tone did not inspire confidence in either toon, the pair keeping their eyes on the creepy bench as they tried to keep up with their trek around the room.

As they tried to go up along the wall, their path was blocked by one of the arms of the ride lying completely flat with the carts pressed awkwardly into the ground. Thankfully, it didn't completely meet with the wall, and they were able to skirt by as they went on. Once they were through Bendy immediately noticed the presence of a metallic doorway across from them. Waving to get Boris's attention, the little devil pointed to his discovery, the pair hurrying over as quick as they could.

Initially Bendy's thought had been that this was where the lever had to be, or maybe it was an opening to some other way through if he were feeling especially optimistic. But, it wouldn't move, no matter how much they tried to push, pound, or subvert the barrier by finding a button or switch somewhere. Though a part of Bendy couldn't help but think that this was all the more of an indication that there was something inside that would help them, he couldn't help the brief thought that perhaps he'd been wrong. Maybe this was a closet, or something that had just never been finished.

Besides, they still had the whole other half of the room to look at. Maybe they'd find a switch, the lever, or another door if they just hunted around a little bit more. They certainly wouldn't get anywhere just plugging at an immobile piece of metal.

They passed another horse prop for the carousel ride as they went on, and an overturned cart a few feet later. The next corner brought a desk with some boxes piled in around it, and a duck head placed on top, about as ordinarily as any bit of décor. Or perhaps it was the placing of somebody that ran out of space in all of the nooks on the wall in front of them. Bendy was willing to bet that that was the case. Though he managed to pick out a few empty spaces as they walked by, so maybe it was just laziness. He'd hardly judge if somebody was rushing so they could get out of here…

Though their loop now bought them back to the corner of the room with the entryway, and the desk with the tape deck. And, with nothing else indicating where to go, Bendy pressed the play button.

" _The biggest park ever built, a centerfold of attractions. Each one, more grand than the one before it. It makes my eyes come to tears at the thought."_ As Bendy listened, he couldn't help but realized that the crackling, recorded voice sounded strange. Maybe it was just the acoustics of the room, but he felt like it was echoing from all around them. It was something that Boris seemed to take note of too, given how the wolf's head swiveled to consider the whole space as he pressed closer, Buddy huddling close at the shifting. But, after the slight pause, Bertrum continued, a new, venomous tone taking over his speech.

" _But then…oh Mr. Drew. For all your talk of dreams, you are the true architect behind so many nightmares."_ Well, the devil had to concede that the man wasn't wrong, though instead of stopping, the recording powered on.

" _I built this park. It was to be a masterpiece! My masterpiece!"_ So, Joey'd fired him, same as Susie? The thought had barely entered Bendy's mind when he felt a vibration run through the floor, a rumbling starting to reverberate in the cavernous room. The little devil stumbled back, Boris's hand clenched tightly over his shoulder.

" _And now you think you can just throw me out? Trample me to the dust and forget about me? No! This is my park! My glory! You may think I've gone…_ _ **but I'm still here**_!" As the speech went on, the lights started to crackle to life around the room and on the ride in front of them, the robotic arms trembling from disuse as they shook off years' worth of dust. Rising from the floor, the mechanisms creaked and groaned as they settled into their positions. And, with the last declaration, the oval-shaped panel on the centerpiece sprung open, Bendy's eyes widening along with Boris's at the sight of an overlarge human head peering unblinkingly at them from the depths of the machine.

 _It's him._ The realization came as the arms of the ride began to spin, one slamming into the table that the tape deck had been on and shattering it to splinters. The impact shook the trio from their daze, Boris outright grabbing Bendy and hauling him back to the safety of the entryway. However, while the arms definitely couldn't reach them, the safety was limited in that the way back out had been blocked with a line of heavy metal doors.

In a panic Bendy tried to open them, even going so far as the bang on everything from the doorframes to the doors themselves. Surely there'd be some sort of button somewhere, right?!

Boris tried to help, reaching for the spots that Bendy couldn't. The sound of the ride slamming down another arm made them both leap out of their skin, Bendy turning back to make sure it hadn't somehow gotten closer as he tried to think. The last room had had doors that closed too, they just needed to find-.

A lever. Or a switch. If this was anything like that last room there had to be one somewhere in here…

And he saw it, or at least something that came tantalizingly close. The metal doorway across the room, just visible behind the whirling arms of the ride. But, in order to get to it, they had to get past Bertrum himself, who didn't look like he was about ready to stop.

Boris, who had turned around when he noticed that Bendy wasn't with him, caught sight of the same thing the little devil did. Making eye contact with each other, the idea wordlessly zipped between the pair. The wolf quietly turned to set Buddy down, both toons trying to reassure the minute devil.

"Buddy, just stay here, okay?"

"It's gonna be alright, Bud, we'll be back inna minute."

Though no one was sure that they really believed the idea of this turning out 'alright', Buddy still gave a quiet, lip-quivering little nod, the mitten-encased hands holding tight for a moment before letting go. And with that, the pair turned back to the whirling, hulking theme park ride, trying to figure out how best to get around. This was just in time for Bertrum to bring one of the arms down on the pulverized desk. The impact sent wood flying, Bendy bringing up a coat-shrouded arm to shield his eyes from debris as he and Boris edged away.

As the metal arm drew back, the little devil caught sight of a familiar shape among the wreck. And, while he wasn't exactly sure what an axe could do against a crazed theme park ride, it was something. Darting forward, Bendy snatched up the wooden handle of the axe, hurrying back with it held in his hands. Boris's expression was petrified, turning into something sharply disapproving as Bendy came back with his prize. To make his case, the devil held up the axe with a look that screamed 'well, would you have left it there?!'.

The moment was thoroughly shattered when Berturm's arms came down again. Bendy leapt a foot into the air in his fright, spinning around to see the carts kick up clouds of dust as they slammed into the floor. Looking back at Boris, the pair jointly came to a decision before running along the side of the room, following the same path they'd taken just a few minutes ago. But, as they passed the bench the arms started to raise up again, the toons now facing the more daunting prospect of trying to stay out of Bertrum's reach. The whirling arms spun overhead, Boris automatically shrinking down in some preemptive effort to avoid a hit. Bendy's eyes kept flicking up and down as he tried to map his way around the occasional box or bit of theme park paraphernalia. While the pair were able to make it across, they were thoroughly halted by the fact that the metal door had not moved.

"It's, it's not-!" Boris stammered as he tried to push, the sudden thunder of one of the arms crashing to the floor behind them causing the wolf to cower with a yelp. Reaching up, Bendy grabbed onto the back of the wolf's overalls, doing his best to pull him into the relative safety of the doorway.

"WE'RE NOT JOEY, DARNIT! STOP TRYIN' T'KILL US!" Bendy hollered as he and Boris tried to press themselves as far into the makeshift shelter as they possibly could. But, even if the equal parts petrified and frustrated yells made it to whatever was left of Bertrum's ears, the once-man-turned machine took no heed, the arms raising into the air again as the cycle restarted. Watching the display, Bendy frantically tried to reason; they'd already seen him do this before, so logically he would probably do the same thing again. Didn't most theme park rides run on a pattern?

It did seem to be holding true for Bertrum, as while the toons carefully edged out of the doorway and along the right-hand wall the arm came down again right in front of them. This time Bendy caught sight of a faint spurt of something black coming from a part jammed against the floor, a section held together by a small beige bolt. Acting partly on instinct, and perhaps in some desire to make Bertrum a little warier about swinging that close, Bendy darted out, around the carts and slammed the axe into where the bolt met the metal for the arm.

The little devil was not expecting the piece to outright fly off, almost crashing into his leg with ink squirting in its wake like blood. Though, he was somewhat glad, as now he knew how to hit back at the seemingly monumental foe. Even as he could hear the rumbles of the arms starting to lift back up, Bendy took another swing at the other bolt on the arm, just managing to land a hit. Though the arm itself did not break, it was making a lot of groaning that told Bendy he was on the right track.

Albeit, in his zeal, the little devil had forgotten about how fast Bertrum could move those arms at a moment's notice.

Bendy was darting back to the safety of the outer ring where Boris was when a flash of instinct made him look to his right just in time to see an arm hurtling at him. Though he was small enough that the worst of the blow soared overhead when he ducked, he wasn't quite fast enough to avoid getting swiped along his back, the slipstream outright flipping him over and causing him to tumble end over end. Completely disorientated, Bendy froze, not sure which direction was safe and nearly petrified because he knew that he could not stay still for long.

Caught between the impulse to move and the terror keeping him immobile, the little devil flopped about on the ground as his breathing stuttered in his lungs. But, under the sounds of the ride whirling and clanking overhead, there was the sound of running coming the devil's way. To Bendy it seemed like Boris only just appeared above him before he was yanked up off the floor and into the wolf's arms. Not that he felt too upset by that, the devil's limbs jerkily wrapping themselves around the taller toon's frame as Boris hurtled back to safety.

"Bendy, are you okay?!" The wolf hollered over the sounds of the ride, trying to pull back to look the devil in the eye. Though some of the wind had been able to filter back into the little devil's lungs, he was still dazed enough that the most he could offer was a croaky 'yeah' along with a nod.

The pair were rattled again by the arms slamming down, one nary a few feet away. The sight of the arm, particularly the bolts that were holding them together, reminded Bendy of exactly why he'd nearly gotten swatted in the first place. Only able to point for a moment, the little devil only became more frustrated when Boris wasn't picking up on his meaning.

"Bendy, I see th' arm, we're fine, i-it can't-!"

"BORIS, TH' BOLTS-!" Bendy finally had enough air in his lungs to yell, just as the arm started to rise again. The chance missed, the smaller toon let out an aggravated hiss of air.

"W-What about-?!" The wolf was asking, the question causing the frustration to break forth from the little devil in a holler.

"Th' bolts're holdin' th' arm t'gether! If we hit 'em, they'll break, an' if they break, he can't hit us anymore!" Immediately the wolf's ears lowered in both a reaction at the rising noise, and recrimination at missing Bendy's plan. Though Boris quickly had a chance to redeem himself, as an arm dropped to the floor nary a few feet to the right of them. Putting the still-somewhat nerveless devil down, the wolf grabbed the axe and ran.

It wasn't hard to see the aforementioned bolts, especially when they were spurting with sizeable dribbles of ink. And, as Boris slammed the axe into the first, he was quickly rewarded by the sound of the arm giving a low, telltale groan.

Luckily for the wolf, it was also the arm that Bendy had already taken off the conjoining bolts for. Unluckily, when all the bolts were removed the arm all but exploded away from Bertrum, showering the area in a cascade of machine parts. Pulling an arm away from where he'd brought it up to shield his face, Bendy's heart dropped when he realized that he couldn't see the wolf anywhere.

"BORIS!"

An odd flicker of black close to the centerpiece yanked Bendy's eyes to the spot, just in time to see Boris uncover his own eyes, and for Bertrum to get right back to spinning. The wolf was forced to plaster himself to the floor, nearly curling up with terror. He was thankfully right in the ring where it wasn't possible for him to be hit, though Bendy hardly wanted to force the possessed ride to test that.

"BORIS!" Bendy yelled again, waving his arms as he tried to get the wolf's attention. Somehow, even over the racket, the taller toon heard him, his eyes managing to meet Bendy's as the arms whirled dangerously close to his head. At the same time, Bertrum's movement started to slow, the arms creaking before slamming down and hiding the wolf from sight again. Immediately, Bendy skittered to the side, just in time to see Boris come scrambling out, only just taking the time to swing at the arm with a frantic wildness in his eyes.

Just as the taller toon broke the bolts, the arms jerked back off the floor with a speed that surprised both Bendy and Boris, the wolf only just able to get to the edge of the room before a cluster of carts swiped behind him. The strike came so close that for a moment Bendy thought Boris had actually been hit, though when the tall frame scrambled away from the whirling tornado of a theme park ride and all but collapsed onto the little devil, he was relieved when a hand brushing along the wolf's back came up clean.

No loose ink, no bruises. Boris was, physically at least, fine. Judging by the way the poor wolf toon was trembling like a leaf in a windstorm, whether or not he was mentally alright was another matter.

"Pal, it's alright, I'm here-." Bendy started, before Bertrum's arms slammed down again and made both the devil and the wolf jump out of their skins. However, the smaller toon recovered first, enough that he was able to shrug out of Boris's hold, grab the axe, and run to the side of the arm to hack at the bolts. He might not be able to fix any damage Bertrum wrought, but Bendy sure as heck was going to do his damnedest to stop the monster from continuing to terrify anyone.

The bolts were broken just as Boris got enough air in his lungs to yell the little devil's name, already starting forward though Bendy was running for the edge like someone had lit his tail on fire. The smaller toon flung himself to the floor, his body only left in an untidy sprawl for a moment before he could feel Boris picking him up. The wolf's hands still trembled, but the motion of carrying the little devil clutched close to his front was an automatic gesture that Boris could have easily done in his sleep.

Though any faint comfort the hug brought was only dispelled when Bertrum's arms came down again, crashing loud against the floor and causing both toons to nearly jump out of their skins. Albeit, this time Bendy was ready. Shrugging his way out of Boris's arms, the little devil leapt to his feet, holding the axe in one hand while grabbing at one of Boris's hands. The wolf practically threw himself upright, jogging after the devil as Bendy ran for the nearest arm. Letting go of the taller toon's hand, Bendy raised the axe and brought it down on the bolts.

It had been the one that they'd gotten beforehand, the arm shattering apart in a spray of parts and metal. Reeling back, the pair dashed for the edge of the room, nearer to the entryway. Quickly, Bendy took stock; they'd gotten several sets of bolts, two of the arms were gone, that left probably a few more sets they had to hit. Easy. They could do it.

A familiar yelp and a thud made Bendy's head snap to look back, the little devil's eyes widening at the sight of Boris having dropped to the floor. What was worse was that the wolf was fumbling about, almost as though he couldn't quite get his feet back under him. Without even thinking Bendy turned, beelining for the fallen toon as the axe fell from his hands.

"Boris, c'mon, pal, MOVE!" The little devil hollered, pushing Boris's shoulder just as the groans of machinery overhead turned into a more decisive rumble. Boris managed a glance up, grabbing Bendy as he rolled over and shakily to his feet, just in time for Bertrum to bring one of the carts down where they'd just been. Stumbling about, Boris managed to dive into the safety of the entryway, crashing to the floor on his side with Bendy clutched to his chest.

Scrambling out of the wolf's hold, the little devil managed to pull away from the taller toon only to see what he'd feared. Boris's face was flushed grey, the taller toon's breath coming in exhausted pants. For a moment, the wolf was staring at nothing, before he finally glanced up to look Bendy in the eye.

"P-Pal," The devil stammered, floundering before a plan started to stutter to life in his mind. "Did he hit you? Y'need t'get up. Here, c'mere…"

It took a second of pulling but eventually Bendy was able to get Boris propped up against the wall, the wolf taking in heaving gulps of air as though he'd just run a marathon. Testing the taller toon's temperature, Bendy felt his frantic worry grow as he registered the heat practically boiling the wolf under his fur.

"Pal, why didn'tcha tell me you weren't feelin' alrigh'?!"

"I…I wasn' 'till a momen' ago, was fine…" Boris wheezed, his attention drawn by the tiny figure of Buddy stumbling over to them, mitten hands feeling out the way along the wall. Bendy quickly reached out to the minute devil, pulling Buddy to sit next to Boris once he came within arm's reach.

Peering out, Bendy flinched at the sight of Bertrum's head, the unblinking eyes fixated on the devil toon. Pulling back into the safety of the alcove, the smaller toon quickly went over the options. The lever had to be behind that gate across the room, though it and the doors likely wouldn't open until Bertrum was stopped. Because that was the point, it was all one big trap.

A trap for Joey, technically, but seeing as he wasn't here, and old Bertie had apparently lost his marbles…

Bendy caught sight of the axe lying on the floor, just in the range of the swinging arms. Maybe when Bertrum bought them down again he'd be able to grab it…

"Boris, stay here."

"Wh- Bendy, wh-what're you-?" The wolf started to choke through a wet cough, but before he could even finish his question Bendy had darted back out into the fray. As Boris tried to pull himself closer to the doorway, his chest spasmed in a few more ragged, heavy coughs. Even still he tried to keep Bendy in sight as a greyish film clouded his eyes. Next to him, Buddy's expression pulled in a grimace caught between worry and pure, unadulterated terror.

Hugging the wall, Bendy tried to both keep his eye on where the axe was while watching the whirling pattern of Bertrum's arms overhead, picking out the exact moment when he'd bring them down. Grabbing the axe might be a little tricky, but it was all he had to strike back with. He had to do this just right…

Just as the arm was about to come down, Bendy realized that it was going to drop right between him and the axe. Reacting on pure impulse, the little devil threw himself under the arm just before it slammed against the floor.

"B-Ben-," Boris choked through a watery cough, pulling himself up using the doorframe. "BENDY!"

Despite Buddy clutching at the wolf's pant leg, Boris would not deviate from the objective burning through his mind as sure as the fever which wracked him. Get to Bendy. His pal was in trouble, he couldn't lose him too-!

"BENDY!" Boris hollered, throat feeling like it was bubbling as he threw himself into a run that grew more and more steady as he dashed to the wreckage scattered about the floor, grabbing a metal bar and running for the downed arm. With the fervor of a toon possessed the wolf swung at the exposed bolts, the strike to the first knocking it loose and cracking the bar, the second hit outright shattering it and sending the bolt flying.

But, instead of just destabilizing it, the crack of the metal bar breaking precluded the arm itself blowing into bits. Though with the barrier gone Boris caught sight of Bendy, axe in hand, the devil stumbling a little as he tried to shield himself from the flying debris.

The instant Boris spotted the smaller toon, his hand snapped out and latched onto what he could of the ragged coat and scarf. Bendy's squeak of a yelp was lost in the roar of noise Bertrum made as the ride snapped back into a wild spin. Before the last arm could even reach them Boris had already moved, throwing himself and Bendy to the edge of the room.

But, now that three out of the four arms were gone, Bertrum had lost a lot of his power. It was something that the transfigured man seemed to realize, as while the arm swiped in front of the pair it didn't crash down again. Instead, it dropped on the opposite side, away from the two toons.

Boris snapped his eyes away from the sight, blinking away what felt like a watery film as his eyes turned to Bendy. Or more namely, the axe still in the little devil's hands.

Only passively taking note of the equal parts shocked and quietly perturbed stare Bendy was beaming at him, Boris grabbed the axe and nearly turned to the man-turned-machine before he felt something latch onto his pant leg. The single-mindedness that had gripped the wolf's thoughts drew back a little as his eyes met Bendy's. Studying the canine face, the smaller toon's own features grew confused as he couldn't find what he was looking for. He could have sworn, especially when Boris had grabbed the axe, that there had been a flicker of red in the wolf's monochrome eyes.

They were almost normal now, barring a slight greyish cast, but the manner in which Boris was blinking like he'd just been woken up from a deep sleep still put Bendy ill at ease. What had just happened?

Not that either really had time to process as Bertrum's arm swung round again, swiping dangerously close and sending them both stumbling back.

But it was not enough, Bendy realized. Bertrum had to bring his arm down for them to do any damage, and if he either wasn't going to do that then they'd be at this long enough for him to get lucky and squash one of them. They needed this wrapped up quick, but how…

Then an idea occurred, Bendy fighting down a brief flicker of unease as he took a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"'EY, BERTIE! WE'RE OVER HERE, CAN'TCHA EVEN HIT US YA OVERGROWN TINKER TOY?!"

"Bendy-!" Boris yelped, though the fainter noise was overrun by the sound of Bertrum's arm swinging around wildly before smashing into the floor directly in front of them. Thankfully, the wolf hardly needed any prodding to dart in and out, the axe taking off two of the bolts before Bertrum pulled away. Though the once-man's temper had hardly cooled, the arm rocketing around and sending ink in a wide arc before skidding on the floor, coming to a stop just a few feet away from the pair. This time, Boris hesitated before charging forward, Bendy easily able to see why; the arm was almost too far away.

Running after the wolf, Bendy saw Boris raise the axe and chop into one of the bolts, the metal flying off as the taller toon hurried to the last piece holding the arm together. But Bertrum's arm was already starting to raise, the little devil realizing with a sharp snap that Boris would be directly in its path when it swung.

"BORIS-!" But, just as he was about to shout a warning, the axe came down and shattered the final bolt.

The arm practically exploded in a hail of metal, Boris scrambling back to avoid being struck. Though the taller toon's legs were rubbery from adrenaline and fright, he still dashed to the edge of the room with Bendy at his side.

Bertrum's internals gave a heavy groan, the floor underneath the toons' feet shaking. Looking up at the centerpiece, both Bendy and Boris could see how Bertrum's face twitched as the whole thing spun like a top. The spectacle lasted for only a moment, as the whirling of the ride groaned to a halt with Bertrum's mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish. Then the head tilted forward, pressing itself into the frame of the little window. The shutters closed, taking the sight from the pair's view.

And it was quiet again. Almost like the entire sordid ordeal had not happened if it weren't for the fact that there were still machine parts strewn everywhere.

Though now that Bendy happened to look at them, particularly the bits of an arm nary a few feet away, he noticed that it almost looked like the metallic surface was dripping. Like bits of it were liquefying off. It only started to click when the little devil noticed the darkening stain underneath, and he remembered the manufacturing machine that he'd seen back in the cave.

He'd been able to make a radio and a gear with the ink, there was nothing saying that Bertrum couldn't have made machine parts for his rides out of them. And, because of…something, the weirdness of the ink…

Feeling faintly nauseous as he thought about what such a process would entail, Bendy gave a shudder before looking back up to Boris. The wolf looked good as new mostly, sans mussed fur and a completely shell-shocked expression on his face. Sensing the little devil's gaze, the taller toon turned to Bendy, immediately getting caught up in the smaller toon's welfare.

"A-Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'm fine." Distantly, Bendy realized that if he were hearing this conversation from two other people he would have been entirely of the mind that they were lying. Neither toon's voice was completely steady, both winded and quietly horrified. Though, the little devil had to concede, that could have ended much worse than it did…silver linings, at least…

As the little devil found himself lost in his own musings, Boris's eyes happened to pick out an odd flicker of black that was clambering their way, stumbling over stray machine parts as he went.

"Buddy-!" The wolf called, the name causing Bendy to start and the tiny toon to scramble to them with a little more purpose. Shakily, Boris pushed himself up, ambling on unsteady legs to close the gap between himself and the minute devil. Bendy also got to his feet, only a few steps behind as the wolf and Buddy met.

The tiny frame clutched at the safety Boris offered and reached out blindly towards the empty air at the taller toon's right. The reason only became clear when Bendy, confused by the gesture, walked into reach. Buddy's mitten hand closed over the little devil's coat, yanking him into the huddle. For a moment, Bendy completely froze, both a little surprised by the tiny toon's deceptively strong grip and the sheer one-eighty from what had been happening nary a minute ago.

The dull shock didn't last long for either toon when they realized that Buddy's tiny body was being wracked with quiet but heaving sobs. It only then struck the pair how terrifying the whole experience would have been if you could only hear what was happening.

"'salright, Bud, we're okay…" Boris murmured, gently rubbing the top of the tiny toon's head. Bendy too tried to offer comfort, gently rubbing the top of the mitten glove with his thumb.

"Yeah, ol' Bertie wasn't gonna get us, kiddo, we're too-."

Boris, didn't interrupt exactly, but at the insulting nickname the taller toon froze and warily looked to the decimated ride, clearly expecting another nasty surprise.

"Pal, I don't think he's comin' back after that." The little devil whispered, though he did have to concede on the grounds that he definitely wanted out of this room as quickly as possible. But, as Bendy scanned the broken theme park ride, his eyes lit on the door that he and Boris had tried to get into.

Except this time, it was open. Bendy edged forward a few steps just to be sure he was seeing correctly, drawing Boris's attention.

"Ben?"

"The door, look."

The wolf followed the little devil's eyes, noticing the change and following along as Bendy carefully crossed the room over bits of machinery.

Lo and behold, the small closet of a room was indeed where the switch was located. Unable to fight a relieved grin at the sight, Bendy darted across the room to pull it and moved just as quickly to leave. Boris was right on the little devil's heels as they cut across the room, into the now-open entryway and through the hall back out into Storage 9. Going back to the switchboard, the wolf flipped the third switch, easily meeting the grin Bendy had with one of his own.

"One more." The smaller toon whispered, cementing the idea that they were one step closer to getting Henry. Just one more room and then they'd be there.

And this time, the room wasn't tucked away in some corner. It was the one that they had passed on the way to Bertrum's room labeled **MAINTENANCE** , the trio's enthusiasm dampening down slightly at the words painted on the wall across.

 **CHOO CHOO CHOO CHOO**

Did this have to do with that train ride? Bendy couldn't help but entertain the thought as they inched over the threshold. It seemed likely, though the image of a deformed, toony train chasing them was making the little devil wish for something less…borderline insane.

However, despite the writing, there was nothing that indicated the bizarre image was going to be a reality. The entryway corridor led into a small workroom, off which was another hall. Next to the doorway was another cluster of writing, reading **CHOO CHOO** this time.

Fighting down an uneasy grimace, the trio continued, heading through a vault-looking type door that closed once they were all over the threshold. Immediately Bendy and Boris looked back, Buddy jolting at the sound and pressing into the wolf's front. Despite the fact that his heart was starting to pound a violent tattoo against his ribcage, Bendy tried to rationalize their newfound situation.

"W-We prob'ly gotta get the lever b'fore it'll open again."

"…Alright." Boris whispered back, the wolf's attention shifting to the room in front of them. There was another corridor to the left, directly across from a Lil' Miracle Station and a machine that Boris couldn't identify. Looked like a pump of some kind, but he wasn't sure. A faint flicker of movement drew the wolf's eyes down to the partially earthen floor, with a plant gently swaying to some breeze off in the corner.

Bendy's eyes swept over the scene too, the sight of the plant making the smaller toon's face twist uncomfortably as he remembered the last time he'd seen such a thing. Instead, he turned his attention to the corridor, edging forward enough to peer around the corner and see what looked like a staircase.

The little devil was quickly joined by Boris, the wolf following as Bendy inched closer with the intent of seeing where the steps led. As they descended the stairs, Bendy had to suppress a groan at the sight of the ink-flooded room. Boris barely had time to notice before Buddy suddenly balled up in the wolf's arms, the tiny toon vibrating like jello in an earthquake.

"Bud, what's-?"

"Boris." Bendy suddenly hissed, the little devil having caught sight of a familiar, yellowy light reflecting off the ink, growing larger as the source came closer. The connection flared to life in both Boris and Bendy's minds, the wolf seizing the little devil by the back of his coat and pulling him up the stairs. It was just in time for the lanky, bobbing form of the Projectionist to trudge past the doorway.

"How?!" Bendy found himself hissing after the monster had walked out of sight, only distantly registering Boris's hand loosening on the back of his coat as a rattled, questioning noise sounded from over his head. The sound turned into a yelp as the devil pulled away, hurrying as quietly as he could down the stairs to peer at the Projectionist's retreating back.

It also drew Bendy's attention to the fact that the room was a lot more open than Level 14. Gone were the close confines of the maze. Now the monster was roaming a large room with two trains on either side being the only shelter for anyone trying to sneak around. Meaning they'd either have to hide using the trains or stay so close behind that the Projectionist had no chance of seeing them.

Unless of course he turned around…

Quietly groaning, Bendy hurried back up the stairs as the bobbing light appeared at the far side of the room, back up to Boris and Buddy. However, no one was particularly enthusiastic for what would come next.

"I didn't see th' lever, but it's gotta be somewhere down there."

With the Projectionist. The very thought of which made Boris's fur stand on end, his arms tightening around Buddy and causing the tiny toon to give a staticky squeak at the sudden pressure before mitten gloves reached up to pat at Boris's arms and chest. The wolf did loosen up, kneading over the minute devil's head in return but he still could not relax, not with the thing that had tried to strangle him being just a staircase away.

Not to mention…everything else associated with the poor man the Projectionist had once been was still floating around Boris's mind. And, while they hadn't necessarily been able to do much by way of damage the last time, he couldn't help but feel like they wouldn't be so lucky to avoid it this time around. Even with the possibility of a maiming on the horizon, Boris still wasn't sure that he could hurt Norman…not after everything.

Well, there was the booth up here. If the worst happened, they could run back and hope that Norman wouldn't get wise. It was a thought that seemed to occur to Bendy too, though when the little devil turned to look up at the wolf with a somewhat hesitant, familiar expression, Boris quickly reached over and took the smaller toon's hand.

Bendy would definitely not be doing this on his own, thank you very much.

Almost in answer to that, Buddy clung to Boris like a barnacle. The trio edged their way down the stairs before the light reappeared on the surface of the ink, bobbing just as it had before. In a snap decision, Bendy hurtled to the right, pressing himself and Boris to the wall just as the Projectionist came into view. The monster's legs plodded through the syrupy ink, the noise not quite enough to cover the sound of the projector running as though its life depended on it. After Norman had gone past, Bendy waited until he had turned to go alongside the train before daring to step out. Boris carefully followed behind, almost holding his breath as his eyes trained themselves on the Projectionist's retreating back. As they followed along a few steps behind, Bendy tried to keep watch on the feral powerhouse in front of them and pick out some sign of the lever that they would need in order to get out.

At first it seemed like the room itself was trying to stymie the devil's efforts, his eyes casting over everything from the train to a staircase on the left, blocked by what looked like a pile of sandbags.

There was also a pile of boxes in the corner, on which Bendy spotted a tape deck, but he just as quickly decided that now wasn't the time to listen to it. Boris for his part didn't notice, too focused on practically boring a hole into the Projectionist's back.

It was only when they rounded the corner and started heading along the back of the room that Bendy spotted something promising. On the far wall behind the other train was a large switch. As they came closer, trailing a few yards behind the still-plodding Projectionist, Bendy noticed that there was label above it reading LIFT CONTROL. The observation of which made the little devil's stomach sink; was that the wrong switch?

Though as they started to follow the Projectionist down alongside the other train, Bendy found that if there was a different lever somewhere it wasn't out where they could get at it. The control switch was the only one there was. They'd have to just try it and hope for the best. Tapping Boris, Bendy gestured to the switch and mimed pulling it, his own way of warning the wolf of what he was about to do. Maybe afterwards they'd follow the Projectionist back to the entryway, see if the door had opened up again…

That plan only held up for point-two seconds after Bendy had yanked the switch, as immediately after it clicked the Projectionist whirled with an ear-splitting screech and thundered towards the trio.

Somewhere in the span of moments, Bendy had an instant to feel everything in his insides freeze, paralyzing fear and blame swarm him all at once with a howl of **WHAT HAVE YOU DONE** screaming through his mind to complement the Projectionist's roar. The sight of the advancing monster was whisked away as Boris reached down, grabbed Bendy, and bolted across the room as fast as the wolf's feet could take him through the ink.

Catching sight of the sandbags lifting away from in front of the stairs, the taller toon abandoned the idea of running to the Lil' Miracle Station and instead flung himself up the steps. Though as he left the thick, cloying ink behind, so too did the Projectionist. Bendy, who had ended up pressed to the wolf's front with a horribly-trembling Buddy, had a good view of the creature as it accelerated up the staircase right on Boris's heels. Air rushing in breathless gasps, the wolf kept up his wild dash, heading onto a catwalk which ran around the top part of the room. Even though the experience in Level 14 had made it clear that the once-man would not be swayed by anything, Boris still found himself shrieking back to the Projectionist.

"NORMAN, NORMAN STOP, PLEASE! STOP!"

"BORIS!" Bendy hollered, the taller toon following the little devil's pointing finger to a rapidly-approaching doorway. It was only when they were a few inches away that the trio came to a horrible realization that their apparent escape was a dead-end nook. But, it had the switch that they had been looking for, lit up in the contained little space.

Boris practically threw the three of them in, Bendy just managing to get his arm free to reach up and pull the switch out of pure desperation.

The room was plunged into darkness, the screeching of the Projectionist cutting off as well. For a few, tense seconds, the trio huddled in the shoddy safety of the nook, waiting for something to appear and try to grab them.

But, when nothing happened, the air only filled with the sound of machines humming and grinding away, they all began to tremblingly ease themselves out of the nook into the semi-darkness.

"Wh-Where'd he…?" Bendy found himself asking through a dry mouth and a shaky tongue, though no one had to ask for him to complete the thought. They were all thinking the same thing.

"I don', I don' know. I can't hear, d'ya see his light? Anywhere?" Boris murmured, his grip on Bendy loosening though he still didn't quite move to set the little devil down. However, as they stood there the lights steadily began to wink back on, and they were greeted by nothing but an empty catwalk in all directions. The Projectionist had…vanished?

No, no he couldn't have, Bendy thought as he struggled to find some explanation that made sense for why they'd been left alone. They'd seen the Projectionist walking around, heard him too. He wasn't some elaborate hallucination; he'd definitely been in the room.

But when they'd pulled the switch, there hadn't been anything apart from the noise cutting, not even the sound of the monster maybe walking back to the steps after giving up the chase.

"Boris," The little devil murmured, pointing to the railing a few feet away, overlooking the ink-flooded part of the room. "Check down there, he could'a…"

Though Bendy hadn't completed his thought, Boris hardly needed to be told twice. Carefully the wolf stepped up, peering over the railing to see if he could pick out some hint of the Projectionist having gone back to the lower level. As he did Bendy looked around at everything from the nook they'd left behind to the catwalk at large. There were a few piles of boxes and barrels here and there, even a table and chair, but it wasn't like Norman's new look gave him much of an edge when it came to hiding. Not to mention he hardly showed much inclination to before…

"I don't see him here either, Bendy. I think…" Boris halted for a moment, almost hesitating to finish as though he might accidentally jinx their good fortune. Even still, the thought was easy enough to complete, as Bendy was having it too. Buddy still was curled up into a tight little ball against Boris, though the tiny toon was peering in the direction of both their voices as he tried to follow along with what was happening.

Finally assured that the Projectionist was in fact gone Boris set Bendy back down on his feet, the trio heading back around the catwalk to the stairs. As they did the wolf slowed down, attention caught by something in a small room built into the wall.

"What's this?" Boris asked, Bendy turning to see the taller toon examining the space. Now that the little devil got a good look, he recognized what he'd initially thought was a poster for what it actually was; one of those joke booths where you could take your picture with your head as part of some caricature. He'd seen a few of them, but due to his less-than photogenic appearance Bendy had ultimately never tried one.

"It's a joke thing, t'take pictures. Y'put your head up there, an' somebody takes your picture. Y'can keep 'em, I think. They're s'pposed t'be funny, I guess."

"Y'just do this?" Boris asked, walking carefully to the back of the board and putting his head through the hole. Just as Bendy was about to answer, a loud click from across the knoll snapped everyone's attention to a dusty camera sitting right across from the poster. As the pair stared, the realization of what had just happened hit home with a small square of white popping out from the front of the camera. With a smile starting to blossom on his face, Bendy plucked the developing picture to hold up to the by now heavily-blushing wolf hurriedly extricating himself.

"Really let yourself go, huh, pal?" The cheeky grin and quip were met with a thoroughly unamused frown and flat stare, even as Boris's eyes flicked to the unflattering caricature of a rotund character holding a trident. Some kind of sea-type villain or side character that Bendy couldn't remember. Maybe it was from something after he'd left. Either way the idea of it with Boris's unsuspecting face attached was a pretty funny thought, enough for Bendy to slip the still developing picture into his pocket for safekeeping.

"Not funny, Ben."

"I dunno, I think it's pretty funny."

"Maybe we oughta get a picture'a you in there next." The wolf 'suggested' as he advanced on the little devil, an arm outstretched to grab Bendy and make good on his word. Smile taking a more strained edge, the smaller toon leaned away as he tried to backpedal.

"Ah, no pal, don't think we need to. B-Besides, I wouldn' be able t'reach!"

"I can help you with that, Ben. After all, what're pals for?" Boris asked, a rare mischievous smile playing across canid features as he shuffled Buddy in his arms, leaning forward. The smaller toon quickly danced out of the wolf's reach, running to the stairs before he abruptly remembered that they were not in the best place for this sort of thing.

Turning back, the already sheepish smile became a touch strained as Bendy noticed that Boris had realized the same thing too, the taller toon's face frozen in a look of pure anxiety before he met the little devil's eyes and visibly calmed down.

Still Boris hardly wasted any time closing the gap between them, Buddy reaching out from his huddle against the wolf for Bendy's hand. Reaching up and giving the small mitten glove a reassuring squeeze, the little devil did his best to give the taller toon an equally comforting and slightly sheepish grin.

"…Sorry about that, pal. I…Yeah, that was dumb. Sorry."

"'sokay." Boris whispered, though he still rested a hand on the smaller toon's shoulder. The trio headed down the stairs, Bendy quickly sweeping a look about just in case the Projectionist was about. The room was still silent, not a hint of a bouncing projector light anywhere, the little devil quietly dismissing his wariness as they reached the bottom of the steps.

"Hey, Ben?"

"Yeah, Boris?" The smaller toon replied, head turning to look at where the wolf's eyes were fixed and seeing the tape deck that he'd noticed earlier. Well, seeing as they seemed pretty alone in here…

"Saw it b'fore, didn't exactly want t'point it out. Y'can play it, pal, might as well hear what it says." Bendy's words were nearing flippant, the little devil more content to watch their backs as Boris reached out and pressed the play button.

" _I believe there's something special in all of us."_ The first sentence made Bendy whip back around, the little devil's eyes widening as he recognized the voice. Joey Drew, their creator.

 _"With inner strength, you can conquer even your biggest challenges. You just have to believe in yourself and remain honest, motivated, and above all, who you really are."_ His voice had the same sort of inflection as the last tape deck, though apart from that Bendy's attention was more on Boris. The wolf had taken a halting, shuffling step back, ears dropping to press almost against his head. Bendy almost wasn't sure that the taller toon was even breathing, the thought causing him to hurry around to be more in front of Boris. But before he could say anything, Joey's voice came back on, the tone of the recording changing like night and day.

" _Okay, let's stop it right there. I can only do so many takes of this trash a day. And tell the guys in writing I want more use of the word dreaming in every message. Keep railing on that, get it? Dreaming! Dreaming! Dreaming! People just eat up that kind of slop. Hmm, what? It's still on? Well, turn it off, damn it!"_

It was such a drastic shift that Bendy froze entirely, the shout at the end causing a faint, residual wince to flash over the little devil's face, a faint sloshing of ink coming from next to him as Boris jumped. Albeit, he quickly shook off the stupor with the memory of the wolf still standing next to him, still as a statue. Boris's face was nearly blank, if not for the owlishly wide eyes and faint grimace twisting the canid features as he hugged Buddy's frame close to his front, shoulders hunching and making him look smaller.

Though now that Bendy was paying attention, he noticed that Boris was hardly the only one affected by the recording. Buddy may not have been as still as the wolf, though the tiny toon was hardly looking much better. The minute devil's frame was practically vibrating, expression pulled in a heavy, almost painful looking display of clenched teeth and panic. However, what both Boris and Buddy had in common though neither seemed to realize it, was their efforts to hide from the recording, or perhaps the memory of the person on the recording. Where Boris folded in on himself, hiding his scar from open reach, Buddy curled up as though to ward off a physical blow, mitten hands pressed to his head.

The sight snapped Bendy entirely from whatever emotions he might've had about hearing his creator's voice again, his hands hesitating for just a moment before wrapping around Boris's arm. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing to do given how the wolf jolted, but it at the very least snapped Boris out of the shock he'd been stuck in.

"Sorry, pal, sorry, it's, it's just me. L-Look we should prob'ly get outta here-." The little devil stammered, wishing that he could force some assuredness into his voice. Right now, he felt too rattled to fake it, which probably helped in forcing Boris to turn away from the tape deck and follow him back along the decrypt train. As they reached the front, the wolf's eyes turned to something on their left and he gave a quiet, repulsed shudder, Bendy following the taller toon's gaze until his eyes landed on a stack of ink hearts perched atop a box.

 _How the heck did I miss that?!_ The thought came with a disgusted squirming all its own, though Bendy instead threw his energy into hurrying past. The door was just a few, tantalizing feet away.

Once the trio crossed the threshold they had a moment's warning in a light suddenly powering on behind them, right before a familiar screech rang out and terrified them all out of their wits. Not even bothering to look back or question the Projectionist's sudden reappearance they bolted for the stairs, Boris picking up Bendy as they went. Though the wolf beelined towards the Lil' Miracle Station, Bendy was able to catch sight of the door they'd come through, still very shut and probably very much locked.

 _It was all for nothing_ , the thought turning something inside the little devil cold. He hadn't seen any other levers, and with the Projectionist in here it was probably all so they'd have that much more of a harder time when it came to surviving.

The train of thought was derailed when Boris nearly crashed into the bench after throwing open the door, the wolf somehow managing to get them all situated so that the booth could be closed.

Bendy's shock ebbed as he tried to keep planning. He couldn't say for certain whether or not the door was locked, they'd have to check that. But they could only check once the Projectionist was gone. Hopefully now that they were out of sight he would leave, the thought solidifying itself in Bendy's mind as he stared at the slat in the booth door where the light was beaming through.

But, unfortunately for the trio, the light didn't turn away or continue on. Instead, it continued to beam through the slat in the booth door, the whirring sounds of a projector working overtime growing steadily louder. Standing on the bench, Bendy could see the Projectionist leaning in, head tilting as it seemed to consider the Lil' Miracle Station.

The little devil's breath caught in his throat as he saw the monster reach out to the door, the trios' grip on each other growing dangerously tight as they awaited the creak that would herald their sanctuary falling apart.

While the creak didn't come, the loud crash that echoed through the room definitely was more than enough to make everyone jump. Though Bendy's jolt was marred by a hissing groan as it felt like his brain was set alight inside his skull. Boris, despite the faint, coughing spasms that were starting to reverberate through his chest, grabbed both devils as he tried to peer through the slat in the door.

Bendy heard the Projectionist screech once more, though this time it sounded as though the noise was being directed away from the Lil' Miracle Station. Albeit, it wasn't as like he couldn't guess why, the strong, aching pulsations doing more than enough to hint that 'Sammy' had joined the stand-off.

Though it didn't seem like there would be any camaraderie between the two monsters. Underneath the screeches of the Projectionist Bendy could hear splatters, ink impacting with ink as they fought with each other, though with his head pounding like it had throbbing spiked ball tucked in his skull, he couldn't put anything visual to the noise.

Then, just as the screeching was starting to reach a crescendo, it cut off with a sickening squelch, the sound of something impacting with the front of the Miracle Station loud in the abrupt quiet. Bendy's head still pounded, and Boris's chest vibrated with the effort of keeping the coughs in his throat, but the oppressive, smothering feeling was already ebbing in slow stages, before vanishing entirely. The pain waning, Bendy started to slump against the side of the booth before he was abruptly pulled into a huddle with Buddy on Boris's lap. It only sank in an instant later that the wolf was shaking, gasping sobs mixing with the barely-held coughs and turning Boris's breathing into a mess.

"Pal, 'salright, we're here, we're okay, 's gone…" Bendy murmured, the wear from before causing his voice to slur. Even still, Boris hardly seemed pacified, instead shaking his head and trying to speak with his discombobulated air supply.

"S-S-ammy, he, he-."

Perhaps he should have tried to calm the wolf down, but for the moment all Bendy's brain could offer was a confused and weak 'what?' in response. And, with the prompting, more tumbled from Boris's mouth like water.

"S-Saw S-a-ammy, he an' N-Norman were fightin', an' Sa-ammy, he…he…"

At that point Boris was crying too hard to continue, though he did make a motion like he was pulling something apart, the meaning causing something in Bendy to ache. Though he'd hardly gotten his energy back the little devil still shuffled about, wrapping his arms around what he could of the wolf's shaking frame.

"'sokay, pal, I gotcha, I'm here…" Bendy whispered, feeling like a broken, useless record though he was soon joined by Buddy, the tiny toon doing his best to mimic the other devil despite not being able to offer any verbal comfort. Though, even with the hug pressing in from both sides, Boris's breathing still dipped in and out of the frantic gasping that Bendy'd been growing sadly used to hearing.

Even still, he kept up as much as he could despite his windedness, soft reassurances and general white noise quietly echoing inside the Lil' Miracle Station like a forlorn prayer, a bare wish for calm that might not come but damned if Bendy wasn't going to try.

Though, just as it seemed like Boris might be approaching some semblance of calm, the wolf's breathing abruptly caught, and a couple of phlegmy-sounding coughs rattled the taller toon's shaking form. The odd break caused Bendy to pull back, doing his best to study Boris's face in the low light beaming in before he gave up and tried the more direct route of pressing a hand to the wolf's forehead. The heat that he felt was not quite as powerful as before, but the fact that it was there at all was no less worrying. Especially seeing as this was starting to become a pattern…

Though, Bendy remembered as he patted at his jacket pockets, they still had their inkwells. Hopefully he hadn't cracked one of them with all the running around and the almost getting killed but you never know. With the way ink was splashing everywhere it was hard to tell.

"Pal, y're runnin' a fever ag'in." Bendy murmured, the wolf jolting a little at the declaration.

"I am?"

"Not so bad this time. Just a lil'one, but we should prob'ly give you some ink anyway, just in case it does get worse." Bendy's reply was partly said into his scarf, as he quickly busied himself with trying to fish out an inkwell. He wasn't sure if the faint slipperiness he was feeling was ink from a broken bottle or just what was smeared over his hands, but when the wrapped glass came out with only a small amount of loose, wet ink Bendy conceded that it was more likely the latter than the former.

"But, Bendy," Boris started, even as the wolf shakily took the inkwell from the little devil. "Wh-what about Henry?"

What about Henry? The thought nearly made Bendy stall for a moment, before he let out a deep sigh.

"Gotta take care'a this first, pal. Don't want you gettin' worse."

Boris looked about ready to protest, before something caught in his throat and had him coughing again. Bendy winced in both sympathy and the wet sound to the spasms, gesturing for the wolf to drink whatever was in the inkwell. In a bid to stop the fit Boris quickly gulped down the ink, slumping against the back of the booth as his lungs calmed. Still, Bendy didn't need perfect lighting to see the quiet look of regret flashing over the wolf's features.

"…Sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault, pal." Bendy replied, though the fact that he couldn't force much more than a quiet firmness to his tone probably wasn't bolstering the wolf's morale any. Buddy's head flipped between them, the tiny toon clambering into Boris's lap as the taller toon started to drift off. Though one of the wolf's long arms automatically came up to steady the minute devil, his other hand started to fumblingly reach over to Bendy, almost too hesitantly to be seen.

Feeling a small part of himself flicker, the little devil barely wasted any time reaching over to clasp at the long fingers, even as a part of him was torn between wanting to just keep pushing forward and holding back for the sake of his friend. Still, he didn't want the wolf thinking this was his fault. It wasn't. It was just…bad luck.

No, probably something a little more…not good. It seemed far too coincidental that this was all happening after Boris had been…

…Maybe something about him coming back hadn't gone right? The thought made Bendy's insides give a belated squirm as he considered, though when the image of Boris simply collapsing, or even melting away played across the backs of his eyelids the little devil forced himself to shove the thoughts away. It couldn't be what was happening. It just couldn't…he couldn't take getting Boris back just to watch him die again…

A sudden snore made Bendy jolt, his eyes snapping to see Boris slumped against the wall of the Lil' Miracle Station. On his lap, Buddy partially curled with his face partially buried in the wolf's fur, the tiny toon definitely asleep as Bendy leaned in to take a closer look.

Well, at least someone ought to be resting. The little devil certainly didn't feel like doing so. He felt torn between two extremes, of charging in to get Henry and deal with 'Alice', and of keeping the wolf and other devil toon safe. Neither were in any condition to go into the haunted house and take on the warped angel, never mind 'Sammy' if he were to show up again. The upset tension caused Bendy to fidget on the seat, his brain revolving between the two trains of thought with a faintly panicky air.

But, what if they didn't go? What if he just went, by himself?

The thought hit like lightning, Bendy freezing for an instant as he considered. He could go, right now. They'd gotten the lever, he knew exactly what came next. Get the switch, the last switch. Then go into the haunted house, deal with 'Alice', and rescue Henry. It seemed simple planning it out like that, though Bendy knew it was likely going to be anything but.

Looking to Boris and taking in the worn, tear-streaked canid face, the little devil felt his insides twist, his frame briefly curling up as he pressed his face into his knees in a way to dispel the horrid feeling building up inside him.

It almost felt like drowning; he was afraid and anxious all at once for himself and for the other two toons, though, if he didn't go…

Looking back up to Boris and Buddy, Bendy took in the quiet, huddled pair, gently reaching out to rest his hand on the wolf's head. It seemed like whatever flare-up of fever he'd gotten before was going away, either because the ink was actually doing something or perhaps it was easing on its own. As Bendy's thumb gently rubbed the taller toon's brow, Boris's face scrunched before a small cough rattled the lanky frame. At the first sign of a disturbance the little devil withdrew, though when the wolf did not wake up he couldn't help feeling a mix of relieved and wanting.

Still, if Boris was going to be fine, and Buddy was going to stay with him…

Carefully, Bendy got up off the bench, gently easing himself out of the Lil' Miracle Station and closing the door behind him. Listening for a moment just in case, the smaller toon took the brief pause to glance around, immediately noticing the faintly gushing projector lying on its side to the right of the booth. Swallowing, Bendy's eyes traveled from that to the still-wet puddle of ink next to it, the whole side leading into a trail that went down the hall to the door.

A door that, he realized, looked as though it had been kicked down. The thought of which briefly shook something loose from the quiet blanket of shock that had overtaken Bendy's thoughts as he considered the scene and what Boris had told him **(-his pal saw, he saw all of this happen, he saw Sammy rip off Norman's-** ). From what he remembered 'Sammy' hardly seemed to be in any state to go kicking down metal doors, never mind ones that, as far as the little devil knew, weren't exactly easy to break.

Fighting down a faint shudder and the urge to run back to safety, Bendy pushed himself on. Though, as he got to the decimated door, he saw that the ink trail lead right into the wall next to it, rather than continuing on through. Abruptly, the little devil thought back to when 'Sammy' had just appeared after he and Boris had broken the cutouts, though the fact that the apparent trail, probably from the rest of Norman, made him uneasy. If the Projectionist had not melted away, what use could 'Sammy' have for his…body?

Grimacing, Bendy hurried on, traversing the small corridor beyond and heading out into Storage 9 almost too quickly. Even as he found himself up at the switchboard, with the last lever lit up, it seemed to take him far too long to actually pull it.

When a moment went by with nothing happening, Bendy looked to the side and noticed one big switch a little bit to the right. Unable to stop a faint, exasperated frown from turning his face, his hand shot up to grab it, fingers almost nervelessly wrapping around and pushing it into the 'on' position.

The rumble of the haunted house's front door opening told him he'd accomplished what he'd wanted. Robotically, Bendy moved to stand at the front stoop of the haunted house, flinching as a deep, creepy laugh emanated from inside the ride.

 _ **Just go in.**_

But he wouldn't, couldn't move, the memory of being **SLAMMED** into hard surface after hard surface mixing with the recollection of Boris and how _**if you hadn't left him behind then**_ feeding into _**what are you doing what the hell are you doing you idiot what are they gonna think when they wake up and find you gone**_ , but he wasn't trying to be a liar, he wasn't, he was trying to protect them, nobody else needed to get hurt here, Boris hardly needed to suffer any more than he already had…

Before Bendy realized it, he was withdrawing, folding in on himself with his hands clenched in the fabric of his jacket. This, this was wrong, but he wasn't sure he wanted to do this the right way. The right way would endanger Boris, who was already worrying Bendy with those weird fever spurts. It would also endanger Buddy, who wouldn't be able to see, who was in the same position as Boris in that he had also been hurt in this mess, hurt in his name-.

 _ **You could just go in and deal with it yourself. No need to involve anyone else, no need for anyone to get hurt. You've been doing things alone for thirty years, why change now?**_

And get beaten to a pulp, as the warped 'angel' threw him around like it was nothing, like he was nothing, like he could just die, and she wouldn't feel a thing. _**But better you than Boris, right, better you than Buddy, who've had to deal with this for thirty years because you ran like a coward, maybe you should die down here after all, JOEY'S LIL' MONSTER-**_.

But, even with those thoughts whirling through his brain, Bendy couldn't make himself move forward. The internal reminder that Henry was in there, somewhere, only caused him to freeze more because what if he was too late, what if she had torn Henry open and he'd be dead like Boris had been but with red blood everywhere instead of black ink, and _**it would be HIS FAULT-!**_

Lost as he was in his thoughts, Bendy hardly heard the sounds of someone running from the Maintenance room until they were mere inches behind him, the little devil hardly having the time to react before a much-larger hand seized the back of his jacket. With a watery yelp Bendy slipped his arms through the sleeves, stumbling forward a half-step before he crashed to the floor. Still, he tried to scramble away from his mysterious assailant, spinning around as his back met the front step of the haunted house.

But the only ones there were Boris and Buddy, the wolf having the smaller toon's jacket in one hand and the minute devil tucked in his other arm. Boris's face was mired with quiet shock and panicky tears, the sight making the tension in Bendy snap with a wet gasp as the little devil's frame crumpled.

Mind racing, his arms folded protectively around himself as his head tumbled end over end with thoughts of _**he's gonna hate me, liar, burden, I'd hate me, stupid, Joey's monster, please I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't want to hurt you, my fault, it's all my fault…**_

But Boris wasn't yelling. The wolf hardly made a sound as he edged forward, putting Bendy's coat in his teeth as he reached out with his now free hand. The little devil didn't fight, even scrambling up to throw his arms around the taller toon's neck as he struggled for air. Casting around, Boris eventually opted to set down on the opposite side of the far shelf, past a Lil' Miracle Station booth. Spitting out Bendy's jacket, the wolf quickly turned his attention to the little devil himself, who was still clinging tightly and sounding like he was in the midst of a meltdown. Before Boris could even speak, Bendy was trying to force words past a lump in his throat.

"I-'m s-s-sorry, 'm s-so sorry, pal, I didn', I didn' want, I d-didn' mean t'…"

"Ben, it's…" Not okay. Waking up in the booth and not knowing where Bendy was had been terrifying, but for the moment Boris kept down the part of him that wanted to ask the devil what on earth he'd meant. Bendy sounded plenty sorry, and worried anger aside Boris hardly wanted to turn this into an argument. "…y'need t'breathe, Ben, take deep breaths…"

Taking in a deep lungful of air, the wolf gently eased Bendy into following along. Like Henry and Sammy had taught him, in and out, in and out. Buddy even got into the act, giving loud, exaggerated breaths of his own that made Bendy give a watery snort at the comically serious look on the tiny toon's face.

But, humor aside, it was working. Apart from the occasional hiccup Bendy sounded much better, the little devil only trembling slightly as his eyes drifted somewhere between closed and half-lidded. However, before he could actually come close to falling asleep Bendy jolted, forcing himself awake. Internally Boris felt a quiet, sad sigh come on, figuring that if he wanted to ask about what had just happened, he'd probably be better off doing it now.

"Bendy, why were you out here?" An easy enough question to start with, though judging from the now-open door of the haunted house, Boris felt he could guess. Still, best to hear it from the little devil's own mouth.

Though at the question Bendy's calm started to fragment, the wolf just able to catch how the smaller toon's eyes zipped up to meet his before just as quickly looking away.

"Ben-?" Boris asked again, only for the devil to suddenly speak up.

"I didn' want you t'get hurt."

Alright, well, if the wolf had any doubts on his earlier guess, that all but outright confirmed he was right. Feeling a groan that was equal parts frustrated and worried rumble up his throat, the taller toon let his head clunk against the shelf behind him. The admittedly quiet show of aggravation was more than enough to rattle Bendy completely out of his earlier calm spell, the little devil's body starting to shake again as words tumbled from his mouth.

"I-I didn', I knew y'wouldn' like it, 'm sorry, I-I couldn' even do it, pal, I couldn', jus'…jus' pathetic, H-Henry could be dead right now an' I jus'…"

"You're not-." Boris had started, right before the part about Henry possibly being dead registered and the wolf felt something quietly break as he took in both the words and the wild-eyed, near-frantic expression twisting Bendy's face, a few dribbles of ink staining the off-color white. Ordinarily, it would have been pale as milk, but with all of the scares, not to mention the sheer amount of ink around, it was a dusky, dim grey.

If Boris were going to be any kind of poetic about it, he could say that it was almost like the experience was draining something out of the little devil. Everything from Bendy's mind to his physical appearance becoming marked by something that could not be outright seen, only read in the aftereffects. The thought made something sink in the wolf's chest, Boris carefully tucking Bendy's head under his snout as he tried to find something to say.

"…We don't know that, Ben. Henry could still be in there somewhere. He could be waitin' for us t'come. An'," The taller toon murmured with a finger poking the center of the little devil's face ", you're not goin' in alone. 'r I'll chase you through there too. Said it b'fore an' I mean it now. Please, just, let me help you."

"But, Boris, what about th'…those weird spells you're gettin'? If'n you get sick, in there, I-I can't-." Bendy started, the wolf quickly cutting him off.

"Then we gotta do it fast. I just had one, so we've got some time."

"But what if it's somethin' really bad, an'-."

"Bendy-?"

"Wh-What if you're, I dunno, fallin' apart 'r somethin', an', an' she makes it worse 'r I can't do anythin'…"

"I don't think 'm fallin' apart, Ben." Boris replied, though a part of him knew that it was more out of a desire to remove the worry that he was saying so, not any real assuredness of what was actually happening. "An', it wasn't too long this time, right? Maybe they're goin' away."

It couldn't have been. Otherwise Bendy might've been further along than the outside of the haunted house. Thankfully, Boris found that the point was winning the little devil over somewhat, enough that Bendy was easing down from his earlier hysteria. Sensing the give, Boris kept pushing.

"We're gonna handle this t'gether, like we said we would. Y-You're not gettin' rid'a me that easy, Bendy." The wolf's words were somewhat wavery, tainted by the thought of _**he nearly did, he nearly ran right into her hands and you would've been none the wiser you COWARD, if you weren't a complete wreck he might not have thought to go that far**_. Despite the fact that Boris tried to stow those thoughts as quickly as possible, his voice still shook enough that Bendy probably noticed, given how the little devil's arms briefly tightened over the wolf's lanky frame. Sensing the shift, Buddy also latched onto both toons, mitten hands doing their very best to give the pair a comforting hug. Boris rounded off the embrace by wrapping his much longer arms around both devils, pressing in with a warm, gentle hug. Within the safety of fur and ink, Bendy finally gave a deep sigh, letting some of the tension flow out of his frame before he spoke.

"…Okay, 'm…'m sorry pal, I won', won't do that again…" The words were still a little quavering, the smaller toon even realizing himself as he took a moment to collect his composure. Boris hardly let the silence sit, instead opting to fill in where Bendy couldn't.

"Y'better not. Pretty sure this's just proven I can still catch you if'n I need to, Ben." The quip was punctuated with a playful poke at the little devil's face, Bendy going cross-eyed for a moment before giving a weak shadow of a laugh. Though, it did seem like the conversation was winding up, so Bendy did try to extricate himself from the huddle, Boris standing up along with him.

"Yeah, y'definitely did, pal. But, Buddy-." Before Bendy could even finish talking, the tiny toon stiffened and grabbed onto Boris's arm, clearly unwilling to be moved.

"Bud, no, we're not takin' you inta ground zero of this mess, y'can't even see if'n somethin' tries t'get you. How d'ya expect t'stay safe?" The little devil's exhaustion was banished for the moment as he tried to make his point clear to Buddy. Though he wasn't about to offer any verbal rebuttal, Buddy quaveringly shook his head and tightened his grip on the wolf. Boris did look like the argument Bendy gave was winning him over, but the taller toon was completely unsure of how to approach the prospect of making the minute devil let go.

Albeit, while Boris might've been unsure, Bendy had no compunctions about taking a more direct approach, the little devil marching forward and doing his best to pull Buddy off the wolf's arm. When a few tugs didn't do much, Bendy gave a mischievous smirk before trying a different tact and tickling around the tiny toon's nonexistent neck.

Buddy outright jolted, a shrill staticky yelp whistling through the minute devil's clenched teeth as his grip on Boris slipped. Spotting victory, Bendy easily swooped in and grabbed the tiny frame, cradling Buddy to his front as he carried his helplessly giggling cargo to the nearby Lil' Miracle Station.

Though when Bendy levied Buddy into the booth, the little devil had barely turned around when he spotted a familiar tiny toon partially huddling behind Boris's legs.

"Buddy…"

Following Bendy's eyes, the wolf jolted at the sight of the minute devil right behind him. Though Bendy's emotions were running in an entirely different direction. Storming over, the smaller toon grumbled as much to himself as he was to Buddy.

"Y'CANNOT play that trick on me, Bud, I MADE that trick…!" The snarling made the tiny toon jump, freezing in place behind Boris just long enough for Bendy to get close.

Though Buddy remained limp enough to be grabbed, even hanging in Bendy's arms like a plucked-up cat, the little devil was only so surprised when he turned around following a second attempt and this time saw the tiny toon silently scrambling his way to the haunted house.

"Oh, no y'don't, lil' mister, you get back here-!" Bendy's holler caused Buddy's escape attempt to be pushed into overdrive, the minute devil's hands patting at the steps as he tried to hurry along. Still, it wasn't fast enough to outmaneuver Bendy, who quickly overtook and swept up the tiny toon.

And unfortunately for Buddy, his weakened stamina could only pull off such a trick for so many times. Eventually, he was too worn out to do more than flop against Bendy as the little devil hauled him to the confines of the Lil' Miracle Station.

"Bud, this is for your own good…!" Bendy ground out, pinning the tiny toon between his coat front and a pair of crossed arms.

"Buddy, it's okay, we'll come back for you!" Boris jumped in, noticing a shift in the comedic mood that had gripped the scene. Buddy's body language had changed from passively determined to desperately frantic. Something about it pricked at the wolf's compassion, though he still knew that Bendy had a very good point. Buddy couldn't fight back if something happened in there and they were separated, staying out and hidden was the safest option for the tiny toon right now.

But, even with the sound reasoning, it was hard to go through with it when Buddy looked like they were walking him off a plank into shark-infested waters. Breath hissing through clenched teeth, the tension wound in the tiny frame despite Buddy's exhaustion. It made something twist in Bendy's chest, the little devil's at first fury-roughened motions growing more gentle as he nudged his way into the Lil' Miracle Station and set Buddy down on the bench.

"Bud, just stay here, alright? We'll be back b'fore you know it." Bendy murmured, gently rubbing the top of the tiny toon's head. The touch did seem to calm Buddy down some, though the brief lull was entirely undone when Bendy had to let go, gently letting the door close as Buddy's expression went from tense to near-frantic. The little devil's eyes met Boris's, both torn between the desire to keep the fragile toon out of harm's way and the uncomfortable feeling Buddy's behavior was provoking.

However, as the pair turned to go into the haunted house, a faint noise coming from behind made them both stop and turn back to the booth. It almost seemed like a quiet, little-.

 **THUNK**

Both Bendy and Boris jolted at the sudden sound, loud even with a faint, creepy laugh drifting out of the haunted house. Immediately the pair headed back to the Lil' Miracle Station, Bendy in the lead with thoughts whirling through his head about what could have happened, did he not put Buddy on the bench as safely as he thought he did, did the tiny toon pass out from overexertion, had he opened up his wounds-?!

As Bendy flung open the door, he was immediately greeted with Buddy's huddled form partly tumbling out, the tiny toon having pressed himself against the wood. As he sprawled on the floor, Buddy's hands fumblingly reached out, the minute frame shaking like a leaf as he tried to grab at Bendy and Boris. It wasn't until the bandaged face turned up to 'look' at them that the pair realized that Buddy was crying.

Not merely a few stray tears, either, the tiny toon was completely inconsolable, gasping, hysterical sobs rattling Buddy and jolting Bendy and Boris to action.

"Bud, Buddy, it's okay, we're here-!" The wolf tried to soothe as he picked the tiny toon up off the floor, carefully hugging Buddy to his front as a long-fingered hand rubbed at the top of the minute devil's head.

"Bud, w-we were comin' back, didn'tcha hear-?" Bendy started, only to be completely surprised when Buddy suddenly started to shake his head in response.

"No? No, we're not-?" The assertion seemed so strange, Bendy completely halting for a moment as he tried to process. Buddy was upset, because they weren't coming back? Or he thought they weren't coming back?

But, why would he think that?

Though, even as Bendy had the question in mind, he found that he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Taking a closer look at Buddy's face as the tiny toon twitched and cried, the little devil read soundless pleas tumbling from Buddy's lips, puzzling out the word 'no' and 'don' leave, don' leave' being said over and over.

Something about the sordid scene stirred a flicker in Bendy's memory, the little devil's head nearly turning back to look at the Lil' Miracle Station as he suddenly, vividly recalled being shut in complete darkness, voice cracking and tumbling end over end as he pressed himself to an unyielding door, pleading for Joey to _let me out, let me out please, Joey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I won't, I won't, please, I'll be good, please don't leave me in here_ -!

The similarity crumbled the last bit of resolve that Bendy had, the little devil quietly sighing and fighting down a sinking feeling that he was going to regret this decision.

"'salright, Bud, we're not leavin' you."

"W-We're not?" Boris asked, the wolf's expression crinkling in confusion at the sudden backpedal. Despite the fact that he could feel his stomach twisting, Bendy tried to sound at least somewhat in control as he replied.

"No, we're not. We'll, we'll just havt'a be careful is all. An' Bud," The tiny toon didn't quite stop crying, but the small head shakily turned towards Bendy in a sign that he was listening. ", y'stay near me or Boris. No runnin' off, no goin' anywhere without one'a us, okay?"

With a quivery little nod, Bendy figured that that was the best he was going to get. Taking a deep breath, the smaller toon tried to mask his unease by ruffling the tiny toon's matted 'hair', forcing a smile he definitely didn't feel. Bendy was pretty sure the façade fell apart the instant he looked to Boris, the wolf's expression pinching at whatever he saw in the little devil's face. Though the deep-running worry sank under a similar veneer of fragile optimism, Boris proffered a hand to Bendy, the smaller toon easily reaching out though the grip was a somewhat desperate one.

It did, however, give them both the courage to head to the haunted house, despite another rumble of spooky laughter crackling from the aged ride. As they approached, Bendy tried not to look at the writing of **'TURN** **BACK'** on the far wall with too much trepidation.

Getting into the cart was a challenge, given that Boris's legs had a hard time fitting under the bar. It eventually ended up with the wolf nearly smashed into one side to give enough room to Bendy and Buddy, the latter sitting on the former's lap as they attempted to pile in. Eventually, it seemed as though the mechanisms themselves grew tired of waiting, the bar creakily lowering down and causing Boris to squirm as he tried to find a comfortable spot. Bendy, for his part, kept one arm wrapped around Buddy with another hand clenched on the bar and tried not to let on as to how terrified the entire situation was making him feel. He probably wasn't as successful as he would have liked, given that Boris quickly wrapped an arm around the devil's shoulders.

The car under them gave a jerk, starting to move forward on the rail. All three toons stiffened as they started to roll, a voice crackling into audibility over their heads.

 _ **"And now, the ride truly begins, boys. Come in, and pretend it's all just a bad dream."**_ 'Alice' purred, the doorway sliding out of sight as the trio continued on into the depths of the decrypt haunted house. As they rode through a pair of doors and into a claustrophobic hallway dotted with what Bendy hoped were just fake glowing eyes peering out at them, 'Alice' kept speaking.

 _ **"It's a funny thing. How so much can fall apart so fast."**_ The words echoed in the tunnel, Bendy jolting as their path in between a pair of 'gravestones' made a mechanical ghost pop up from behind one. Quickly realizing that it was a part of the ride, the little devil couldn't help but feel like an idiot. Even still 'Alice' continued with her soliloquy.

" _ **We never really had control at the studio. Either you were in someone's pocket, or you were putting someone else into yours."**_

Bendy half-listened, keeping an eye on their surroundings as he took note of Buddy still pressed to his front under an arm, the tiny toon's frame faintly trembling as his head peered blindly about. Boris edged in closer as well, the wolf partially hunching over the railing in a bid to stay low. Though, it wasn't like Bendy had never realized how things at the studio tended to work. Especially looking back on it over thirty years. 'Alice' was hardly telling him anything he didn't know, so why bring it up?

" _ **I just wanted what was promised to me. I just wanted to be beautiful! Surely you can understand that."**_

Well, no, as he'd been more preoccupied with food and shelter. Maybe a fixation with looks on the grounds of blending in, but nothing really involving this level of fatal attraction to appearance. Still, he was starting to get it. She was trying to make herself out to be the victim here, something that rankled at Bendy's conscience. Near as he could tell, 'Alice' did the things she did because she wanted to. Boris suffered under her heel because that was what she wanted, wrapped up in a thin cloak of necessity.

" _ **Bendy**_ **…** " 'Alice' hummed, her tone playful. ", _**why are you here?**_ "

The mention of the little devil's name had Boris's hold on Bendy growing tighter, almost as though the devil might be simply yanked from the cart at any moment. Granted, given that 'Alice' probably had enough forewarning to hide where she would see them before they saw her, Bendy thought that the wolf's efforts were probably a good idea.

Well, might be. 'Alice' didn't seem like she'd let a little thing like group cohesion stop her.

" _ **We're all dying to find out.**_ "

 _Who's we?_ Bendy wanted to ask, though he stayed quiet. It felt like the warped angel was leading up to something, something that she knew none of them would likely enjoy. Still, her words were making him wonder, was 'Alice' alone wherever she was, apart from presumably Henry? She didn't seem like the kind of psycho to team up with anyone, really.

 _ **"Do you boys just enjoy the terror of the drop into hell? Because if that's the case…"**_ 'Alice' hissed, Bendy's stomach tensing into knots as he remembered the last time the warped angel had 'dropped' them. It was a sentiment that was shared by Boris, the wolf going from tensely holding onto Bendy to nearly squeezing the little devil against him. Despite the fact that the taller toon's grip was coming dangerously close to cutting off his air, Bendy didn't tell Boris to stop. His own hands were clenched painfully over both the wolf's arm and around Buddy's shoulders, the tiny toon's mitten hands grasping at the worn coat as he trembled. Still, the cart rattled on towards another large door, decorated with an ominous skull.

" _ **Hang on tight. I've got a surprise."**_

 _She's going to drop us_. _The ride's broken or it's meant to be a coaster and she's gonna use it to kill us._ The thought made Bendy peer about at the cart, trying to find some way to release the locking mechanism and let them out. But there was nothing they could mess with or break, and the door ahead was rapidly swinging open.

However, much to Bendy's surprise, the only thing beyond that was a short stretch of track, a sort of chandelier hanging in the room beyond another similarly adorned door. Peering at what he could of the track ahead, it didn't look like there was a drop. What was 'Alice' playing at?

As the cart rolled forward the next door creaked open, revealing a much larger room. The track still ran around what looked like the edge, the middle occupied by a raised bit covered in various things, from barrels, sand bags, even a couch tucked in on one side. Looking around, Bendy took in the high ceilings, boarded up windows, and towering walls, picking out portraits hanging up with eerily glowing eyes. The little devil hoped that that was just a special effect of some sort, though with the way things had been going lately he figured that it was best to assume the worst possibility until proven otherwise. Still, the trio's cart rode around the dais unmolested, passing the various crates, barrels, sandbags, spare carts, even an organ tucked in the wall on the far side of the room. Perhaps there was the faintest hint of tinny, creepy haunted house music playing over some speakers, but apart from that, the place was almost…calm.

Though that calm felt about as placid as a deep, perhaps monster-infested lake, so Bendy was hardly about to relax. Especially when heading past the organ brought them level with another grinning Bendy statue, sitting there as though it belonged in the creepy space.

Strangely enough, the little devil wasn't the only one off-put by the monolith, as Boris shied away from it too, leaning into the cart. Buddy still clung to Bendy, so the smaller toon had no way of telling if the anxiety was being affected by the statue or not. Granted, it wasn't like Buddy could see it…

As they rounded the corner, Bendy immediately caught sight of another be-skulled door right in their path, the space beyond too dark to see. When they drew closer, the wooden paneling soundlessly opened, the tension only climbing in the trio as they saw nothing but black in the oncoming tunnel.

But once they rolled past the doorway, the 'nothing' abruptly sprouted a pair of battered, inky arms, the hands of which landed heavily on the front of the cart and caused it to stop. The air rushed from Bendy's lungs in a wheezing gasp as the rest of the creature leaned into view.

It looked like Boris, though only if the artist in question only had the barest idea of what the wolf looked like, and might've had some aspirations to be a horror designer; the other's body was more a shifting, patchwork, hulking mass of ink than it was actual fur, flesh, and bone. The creature also had three heads, the one in the middle looking the most intact while the two on either side resembled melting wax dolls, the ink running in rivets down the battered, off-white faces. All three had crossed out eyes, though the runnier heads had black leaking from them like tears. But, if this was here, and 'Alice' was alone, did that mean…?

"…Henry?" Bendy gasped, not sure if he wanted to believe the conclusions his mind was drawing, though if Sammy, Norman, and Susie had been transfigured in such a way, then this really could be...

"H-Henry?" Boris asked, the wolf's voice riddled with shock, fright, and no small amount of panic. It didn't take Bendy long to figure out why; the wolf's monstrous doppelganger was missing more or less the entire front of its chest cavity, the ink-stained, gleaming ribs there for all to see. The little devil could also spot the faint pulsations of the organs inside, though he quickly looked away to see if he could try to reach the animator, if he was still in there. The middle head of the piecemeal creature jerked, a rattling cough splattering ink on the off-white metal in-between them.

"Henry, it's me, it's Be-!" The smaller toon's words cut with a yelp as the chimera shifted its grip on the cart, pulling it up off the track. The trio were rattled about as the cart was swung to the side, before the creature outright flung it so hard that it crashed into the Bendy statue across the room, shattering it and breaking the metal frame of the cart to pieces.

As the toons tried to both recover from their brief period of being airborne and escape the twisted wreck of the cart, the sounds of 'Alice's voice filled the room, reverberating in time with the Boris-monster's heavy steps over the threshold.

 _ **"Ha ha ha! Meet the new and improved Boris! Amazing what can be done with things you find lying around, right, boys? And this time, there's no Ink, no escape.**_ "

 _How did she know what had stopped Norman?_ The thought flared briefly in Bendy's mind before 'Alice's next words sounded, driving the inky chimera forward.

" _ **Boris, tear them apart! Leave nothing!"**_

"That's not me…" Boris dazedly whimpered, even as his limbs shakily tried to extricate themselves from the ruined cart. The other two devils were a little quicker in getting out, Buddy's hands trembling as they blindly grasped at Bendy's coat. The little devil reached out with one hand to shove at the metal, the other going to grab ahold of the tiny toon.

"Boris, she's nuts, 'member? C'mon we gotta move-." Bendy rushed out, tongue feeling disengaged from the dull shock permeating his brain. It was not enough that he didn't jolt at the sound of the Boris-monster giving a gravely, gurgle of a roar before surging forward, straight for the trio. Feeling a gasp whistle through clenched teeth, Bendy gave one last desperate pull, Boris managing to get untangled, grab the two devils, and spring clear before the chimera crashed into the remains of the cart.

The trio flung themselves into the collection of odds and ends on the dais, darting around the pile of sandbags to try to get some distance from the hulking monstrosity. As he darted around barrels and clambered over rope and wood, Bendy's mind raced with _what was that, what is that, where did it come from, was that Henry, had it been Henry,_ _**oh god what did she do, WHAT DID SHE DO TO HIM-?!**_

The frantic train of thought was shattered when something large crashed into the center of the dais from above, the impact splintering a few barrels and crates. Bendy had skidded to a halt, recognizing the new shape in front of him with a squeeze of fear.

 _Did it just jump from the track?!_ The thought made Bendy feel horribly cold as he figured that yes, that had to be the case given that there was no trail of destruction heading in, just a blast radius spanning outward.

The monster hardly gave the trio a moment to breathe, Bendy nearly throwing himself back into Boris's legs as the creature swung with an overlarge fist. The wolf grabbed both devils, tucking each under an arm as he scrambled around a barrel to get back out to the more open track. This time the monster took the more direct route of smashing through the things in his way, the barrel quickly shattered into splinters with one punch. All three heads were fixated in the trio's direction, a low, gurgling growl emanating from the towering creature as it fought to reach them.

And they had nothing to fight it with. Not to mention, in a space like this, there was only so far they could run. Event still, with the idea of Henry _ **-(this could be him, I'm sorry, Henry I'm so sorry)-**_ flitting about his mind, Bendy also felt the trembling and tension roiling through Boris and Buddy next to them, and put them first.

Scrambling his way out of Boris's stranglehold, the little devil's eyes immediately lit on the decimated cart sitting a few feet away. Though the thing was in pieces, it certainly had more than enough potential to still be useful.

"BORIS, THIS WAY!" The little devil hollered, dashing to the cart just as the monster crashed through the last of the things blocking its path. With the chimera incoming, it didn't take much for Boris to rush after, the impact of the chimera nearly buffeting the wolf ahead by a foot. It wasn't hard to see what Bendy was after, the little devil pawing through the wreckage of the cart for something he could use as a weapon. He was able to come up with a bar about the length of his arm though as he turned back to Boris Bendy immediately noticed one problem; the trembling Buddy still sat in Boris's arms.

Looking back to the monster trying to smash its way through the pile of sandbags, the little devil grabbed a smaller shard of metal from the wreckage and darted away from the wolf and tiny toon.

"HEY, UGLY, OVER HERE!" Bendy hollered, throwing the puny piece of metal which cracked against the head on the far right. The impact definitely got the chimera's attention, though it had the added effect of causing the monster to give an angry roar and crash the rest of the way through the sandbags, barreling straight towards the little devil. Despite the fear rattling his insides, Bendy quickly bolted, finding himself unable to run for the other door given that it had slid shut behind the monster. But there was an out, through the stuff on the platform.

As Bendy squeezed in between a couch and a metallic contraption, he quickly realized that they had another asset to use; another one of the small ink converters that he'd seen earlier in the mine shaft. Though Bendy only had a moment to absorb that before the problem he'd been initially occupied by came hurtling back to the forefront, in the form of the monster trying to clamber up onto the dais. Before it could, the hulking creature accidentally jammed its exposed wound against the top of the couch, causing it to stall as it tried to cover the area while coughing up a round of ink.

From the other side of the ink converter, Bendy caught sight of one of the hacking coughs bringing up a bit of black that looked familiarly globbish, the sight sparking a plan in the smaller toon's mind. Darting forward, Bendy rammed the bar into the exposed chest cavity while grabbing the ink blob, the strike sending the monster reeling back to the track. Hands shaking, the little devil quickly levied the ink into the slot on the converter, briefly fumbling over the dial before pulling the lever.

"BENDY!" The sudden shout to his right made the little devil jump, his head spinning to point in Boris's direction as the wolf came up on his left side. The moment of distraction was all that was needed for the converter to suddenly decide that it was done and spit out a GENT pipe that impacted with Bendy's stomach hard enough to briefly knock the wind out of him. Still, the little devil tried to keep ahold of his new weapon and stumble in Boris's direction to complete his escape.

Well, a temporary one at least, as he could hear the chimera make another attempt at crashing through the barricade of the couch and converter to get to them. Running further down the track, the trio managed to make it to the organ, at which Bendy had an idea about how to even things up.

"Boris!" The wolf looked up at the call, quickly catching the meaning of the devil gesturing between Buddy and the organ. Gently levying the tiny toon in his arms, Boris carefully set Buddy down, Bendy hurriedly moving to explain.

"Bud, hide back there an' don't come out 'till it's quiet." Despite the hesitation and fear racking the tiny frame Buddy did as he was told, tucking himself into the shoddy safety of the nook between the organ and the wall. It wasn't much, but it definitely made Bendy feel a lot better now that the minute devil wasn't out in the open.

And now that he and Boris had their hands free…

Pressing the GENT pipe into Boris's hands, Bendy's eyes scanned the cleared area, easily catching sight of the Boris-chimera just on the cusp of crashing through to where they had just come from. Taking a few steps away from Buddy's hiding place, Bendy skirted to the broken pieces of the cart and barrels, eyes seeking out a part of the ring binding the planks of the barrel together. Grabbing the curved metal the smaller toon braced himself for the task of getting the monster's attention, though as he noticed Boris come up on his left a flicker of motion near the chimera drew his eye.

At first, the shape didn't make much sense, until the monster grabbed the object and flung it across the room at them. Bendy had just enough time to process the sight of the cart hurtling at his and Boris's heads before he threw himself to the side, just managing to hear Boris hit the floor next to him over the sound of the cart shattering as it impacted with the wall.

Throwing a glance back at the shattered remains, Bendy couldn't help the brief, opportunistic thought that well, at the very least they had more ammunition.

Though now that they were down, the chimera sought to head up the assault with something a little more close range. Stomping onto the dais, the monster only gave the pair a moment of preparation before it raced forward like a charging bull. They were forced to separate, Boris throwing himself to one side while Bendy went to the other.

Immediately realizing the situation, the little devil felt something freeze in his chest as the worst scenario occurred; the chimera turning in Boris's direction, taking out the wolf entirely, and heading on to where Buddy was hiding. As he skirted to stand on the dais a plan started to form in Bendy's mind, a dangerous plan, but at the very least it was something to work with. And it would keep Boris and Buddy safe for a little while longer.

Trying not to show too much of the fear he was feeling, Bendy chucked the piece of metal at the chimera, the ring piece smacking into the left-hand head and causing a spray of ink from its mouth. With a growling, gurgling roar, the heads turned to the little devil, right before a faint sound of something rolling along the track registered. Boris barely avoided being hit with a cart as it hurtled along, the chimera easily grabbing and lifting it from the track.

Hitting the floor, Bendy both heard and felt the cart whistle over his body, the sound of it crashing into the wall behind him registering just a moment later along with the somewhat nerveless thought that he was in fact still alive. This still left him with an angry Boris-monster that was thundering its way to his still-lying-on-the-floor body, perfectly capable of stomping him into a fine powder. Though he already started to roll to stand up at the first sign of trouble, the little devil felt his heart drop at how close this was going to be, would he even be able to avoid the chimera's feet at all?!

Forgotten on the sidelines Boris watched the spectacle unfold, fear seizing the taller toon at the sight of the predicament Bendy was in.

Feeling a familiar heat rising in his chest, the wolf charged at the monster as his heartbeat thundered in his ears. Smashing the GENT pipe into the chimera's side, Boris could hear the metal ringing off the exposed ribs. The blow caused the creature to stumble as it revolved back to face the wolf head on. Before Boris could react, the chimera's hand seized him round the waist, one of his arms pinned in the vice-like grip. In an instant he was flung to the side, his back crashing heavily into the wall. For a brief moment of consciousness as he fell to the ground, the wolf could faintly hear Bendy shout his name.

But when the taller toon opened his eyes, the enormous room was gone. Instead the world around him had become a black void, with nothing in either direction. He couldn't see, and it terrified him. Drawing in on himself, Boris whimpered as he tried to remember how he'd ended up here, and where Bendy and Buddy were.

This, this couldn't be right, he'd been in the haunted house, they'd been in the haunted house. They'd been trying to find Henry, but instead they'd found…

…A monster, one wearing his face and likeness, no less.

The memory of which made Boris's efforts to search go from merely anxious to frantic, as he knew that the creature had not been defeated, and if Bendy and Buddy were with it then he could only imagine disaster and he wasn't going to let that happen, not now, not ever.

As the wolf padded his way through the darkness, his path suddenly took him right into a large, oval mirror that…almost appeared in his way. Stepping back while holding his nose, Boris took in the sheer scope of the thing. He could probably reach around and touch both sides of the mirror, though it towered a good foot or so over his head. The glass itself was also a little odd, the wolf unable to see his reflection though the shimmering surface swam with odd, flickering colors.

As Boris watched, they became more and more clear, to the point where the taller toon found he could recognize the image depicted; the big room in the haunted house.

"Boris!" Running into view was Bendy, the devil's path to the mirror at first making Boris reach out to the glass. Though, the words died on his tongue as Bendy knelt next to the mirror, next to what seemed like the wolf toon's own prone form.

"Boris, pal, wake up!" The little devil hollered, voice cracking with desperation. The sound itself made something fire in the wolf's brain, forcing him to speech.

"Ben, Bendy, I'm right here-!"

But, the copy, the him on the other side of the mirror, was sitting up, just as the chimera started to charge towards them. The wolf just barely made out Bendy catching sight of something in the copy's face, expression twisting in a mix of worry and confusion, before he was grabbed and held against the other wolf's chest as he lashed out, grabbing a piece of metal and jamming it directly into the chimera's open ribcage. Though the creature fell back, the other Boris kept ahold of his makeshift weapon, letting the monster slide off onto the floor.

"Boris…?" Bendy murmured, the little devil's quiet shock echoing the wolf's own. "P-Pal, what's, why're your eyes-?"

But whatever the smaller toon was going to ask was cut off by a piercing, angry scream, Boris jolting at the shrill sound as he caught sight of something dark hurtling over from the other side of the room. Immediately, he could place the shape from the behorned, partially haloed head.

'Alice'. Though while the noise had caused Bendy to start, the other Boris didn't react any more than turning his head in the warped angel's direction, tracking her approach. Once she came within a few feet, the copy moved almost too quickly for Boris to see, ramming the metal up and into her chest.

It was so sudden, the shift from screeching to complete silence that for a moment all Boris could do was stare. Bendy too was shocked, the devil flipping his head around to peer at the scene as 'Alice' fell to the floor. The wolf could just barely see the smaller toon's eyes turn to look his copy in the face, expression now more than a little wary and horrified.

"Boris…?" The tone made the wolf's stomach twist, his mind burning with a terror that emanated from the scene in the mirror. He couldn't tell for sure if this was real, if he was actually seeing what was happening, but with everything else in this place, he had no reason to assume otherwise. The taller toon's fear only grew as the other Boris's grip shifted, now looking more like he was pinning Bendy to him than merely holding the smaller toon.

And a new sound was starting to make itself apparent. A bubbling, gurgling sound. Straining on his tip-toes to see, Boris could just make out the Bendy statue across the room, which was reforming up into its proper shape and starting to turn black. Despite distance, he could make out how ink was spurting and fountaining from the etched lines in the wooden frame, enough to create a veritable pool.

 ** _BRING HIM TO ME, BORIS._** The words somehow managed to boom without sound, the wolf covering his ears from the sheer 'volume' of the call. Warped though it was, he could recognize the voice, his heart dropping as insight came like a bolt from the blue; Joey. He was hearing Joey's voice. His copy's own ears perked up at the command, taking a step towards the statue.

"Boris, pal, wait, what're you doin'?!" Bendy yelled, trying to thrash himself free in earnest as the wolf's doppelganger drew closer and closer to the by-now completely black Bendy monolith. As the copy powered on, Boris could faintly hear the other's lungs giving a few, wet coughs, the sounds going in time with an uncomfortable tugging and bubbling in the wolf's own chest. The spasms caused Boris to double over, fingers still scrabbling at the glass of the mirror as he focused on the image of this copy, of himself, hauling Bendy off to the ink.

Though the friction of his fingers against the sheer surface was making an odd noise, a slight screeching noise, the out-of-place sound drawing Boris's eyes down to his hands.

His now claw-tipped hands, the sight of which caused the wolf's eyes to widen. The instant he saw the change, his frame seized, cough after rattling, wet cough shaking him to his bones. Through squinted eyes, Boris could see his copy undergoing a similar change, having fallen to his knees as his body grew, the tall proportions pulling to unnaturally long lengths.

Boris could feel it himself as his arms and legs shifted, bones cracking as his spine stretched and his feet extended out of his shoes. His teeth felt sharper, his fur slick with ink that seeped from under his skin. His eyes, ears, nose, and mouth got the worst of it, the acrid taste and smell oversaturating his senses, making him nearly want to vomit. And no matter how much he coughed, no matter the strength of the spasm that reverberated up from his lungs, it was not enough to dispel the flood. More kept coming, gushing up from somewhere inside him as his heartbeat pounded frantically in his ears.

But after a moment, the overpowering parts of the change ebbed, enough that Boris could hear Bendy frantically calling his name.

"' _m, 'm 'ere_ …" The words came mixed with ink as his throat bubbled, the wolf completely forgetting what was happening for a moment as he sought to respond. " _Ben, 'm-._ "

"Bori-IS!" The shriek immediately made the wolf toon start, his frame jolting up to look as his copy sprang up from the floor to seize the little devil with an elongated, clawed hand. The monstrous doppelganger held Bendy over the side of the dais, over the ink which bubbled and foamed underneath the smaller toon's dangling form.

"Boris, please, don't…!"

" _S-Stop_ …!"

Both pleaded, Boris's words fighting through his ink-logged lungs. Pulling himself up with the mirror, the wolf's eyes were caught by something small and dark moving around by the copy's feet. His eyes widened as he recognized the tiny shape, the copy's head flipping down to look as it grabbed onto his leg. Boris's gaze caught a glimmer of red in his doppelganger's eyes before the other wolf quickly ripped Buddy away from his leg, both Boris and Bendy cluing in to what was about to happen as the copy wound up.

"BORIS-!"

" _NO, STOP_ …!"

But their cries went unheeded, and the tiny toon was flung with all the care of a baseball to the far side of the room where the converter sat.

Boris felt his heart stop at the sound of Buddy smacking into the floor, a faint, garbled cry the only noise before a yawning, deadly quiet. Despite his best efforts the wolf could not see where the minute devil fell, or if he was alright, though the implication alone was enough to make tears spring to his eyes as his lungs seized in ink-choked sobs.

" _…no, no, I di-hidn'_ …"

"Boris…" Bendy whimpered, the wolf's attention drawn back to the little devil still dangling in his copy's grip. Though, as he did, the scene in the mirror shifted, so that now he was looking through his doppelganger's eyes at Bendy's ink-stained, terrified, teary face, the arm holding the smaller toon up matching with the wolf's own hand pressed to the glass.

"B-Boris, please…"

" _Ben, I-I'm sor-ry._.." He sobbed, clawed fingers scrabbling at the glass despite the knowledge that it wasn't going to move, that he couldn't do anything to help his friend.

And, with the view angling downward, Boris could see the ink's frothing growing to unnaturally strong levels, almost as though it were trying to climb higher to the devil held above it.

Then the copy's hand loosened, enough that Bendy's eyes blew wide with a choked yelp. Boris gasped too, throwing himself at the mirror again, he couldn't lose Bendy too, he had to save him, he had to save his pal…!

But the glass held, and the doppelganger's hand let go entirely. Bendy dropped down into the ink, Boris giving a frantic, wordless scream as he tried to break through. The little devil was completely silent, eyes wide with disbelieving shock and fright as he plunged down into the bubbling darkness.

As Bendy landed in the ink, the bubbling of the dark liquid brought what would only have been up to the little devil's shins to about his waist. Though the longer he stood in it, the higher it rose. To Boris's horrified eyes, it looked like tendrils were rising from the ink, pulling Bendy under the surface. Even still, the devil frantically tried to escape, terrified eyes beseeching the wolf as his hands reached up to the taller toon.

"B-Bor's-!" But no matter how much he tried, Boris could not break through, could not make his copy move, could only watch as the ink took Bendy under, the frothing dying down once it had claimed the devil.

" _BENDY_!" The scream caused ink to bubble sickeningly in his throat, but Boris hardly cared. Instead he pressed himself to the glass, eyes darting around as he tried to see what had become of the little devil. The only thing he could see with any accuracy was the shadow of his own reflection, the lanky, too-tall frame almost peering up at him from the ink through a pair of red, pinprick pupils.

The sight of two horns rising up from the dark floods would have made Boris cry with relief, if it wasn't for the realization that they were spaced too far apart. That was soon joined by a too-large head, the face etched with a leering, wide smile and eyes that were too big and too dark, the pie-cut pupils that were supposed to be there entirely lost in the swirling, white-dappled black.

As the changed devil rose up to his full, now-towering height, the wolf felt his breathing come in a wheeze, his eyes wide as his heart stammered in his chest.

Now both transfigured, the two toons turned to the side of the room where Buddy had been flung. Boris's ears could just register the sounds of faint, raspy breathing, of Buddy still clinging to life despite the rough throw. But whatever relief the thought brought was quickly dashed as both he and Bendy turned, advancing on the spot where the tiny toon lay.

" _NO_!" The wolf cried, his stretched-out, warped frame slamming into the mirror as he tried to break through, to do something, anything. " _STOP! STOP PLEASE! I DON'T WANT THIS, YOU HAVTA STOP, BENDY! PLEASE!_ "

But, for all of his pleas, the mirror remained unyielding, though the scene started to freeze as though a pause button had been hit. Even still, Boris pressed himself to the glass, almost as though he could force himself through sheer willpower alone. Though as his eyes screwed shut with the effort, the scene kept replaying itself on the backs of his eyelids. His frame, shifting and changing, becoming more monstrous, Bendy's terrified face as the wolf threw him into the ink, Buddy being launched across the room…

 ** _MONSTER. WOLF. MONSTER._** The words beat a violent tattoo into the wolf's mind, even as he feebly attempted to escape them.

" _Th-that's not me…_ " Boris sobbed, desperate even as he looked down, could see the clawed feet and hands, the unnatural length and drippy-ness to his arms. No, no, no it couldn't be true, it couldn't, he would never-!

But, he wouldn't have a choice, would he?

Stumbling back from the mirror, Boris fought between the unnatural length of his limbs, and the panic that laced through his warped frame. But the further away he drew, the more the wolf noticed that his ragged, hyperventilated breathing was being echoed by…something bigger, something that echoed throughout this odd space.

It did not occur to the toon to stop though. At least, not until a shape seemed to simply appear in front of him.

It was big, bigger than the mountain that Boris had occasionally glimpsed through the windows on the studio's upper floors, and moving. Stumbling back, and subsequently falling on his rear, the wolf craned his neck, fighting down a burbling cough as he tried to see as much of this thing as he could. Even still, it felt like there were parts that were sliding in and out of his vision, in and out of his very memory, though the dark, black as ink frame stuck in his mind, the solid color swirling with white lights that dotted the surface.

But this wasn't the thing that terrified him most. That was the fact that despite the size of the body, Boris could clearly make out that it had at the very least a head, which was turned in his direction. The lights dotting what seemed like the front part of the head all blinked, arranging themselves in a formation of three pairs going vertically down, and a lone one sitting right at the center of where the forehead would be. As they blinked open, Boris noticed with a sharp snap that the lights now resembled eyes.

Not even eyes as the wolf normally knew them, or even the pie-cut eyes that the toons all had. Instead, these were reverse colored, darkened whites and pale pupils staring down at Boris, taking him in.

Whimpering, and now completely overwhelmed, the wolf curled up as best he could, shivering in fright as he waited for this thing to do something, whether it be to grab him or simply crush him to an inky paste. The ground shook under him, the giant frame moving and causing Boris to give a watery cry of terror as he braced for the end.

Except, after a moment, a sound began to drift into the wolf's ears. It was faint, a sort of tinkling, melodic rhythm that felt like something he'd heard. Somewhere before, some other place, some other time…

The strange, oddly familiar happening lured Boris out of his huddle, his head craning back again to try to make eye contact with the towering figure.

However, as his eyes found the odd reverse-colored orbs, the wolf found himself caught with another surprise.

Though the liquid dripping resembled ink more than water, the slight crinkling at the edges of the eyes betrayed the emotion behind the reaction. This strange figure was crying, staring down at him like a mourning friend.

The sound of rumbling off to his right caught Boris's attention, his head snapping to the side just in time to see an enormous hand gently sliding around to rest in between them. But, before it could come within more than a few feet of the transformed wolf toon, it came to a sudden halt with a loud clank. The noise seemed completely out of the blue and confused Boris at first, until he caught sight of the glowing, red chain wrapped around the limb and leaving it just shy of where it had been trying to get to.

Even still, the figure tried to reach out to the wolf, if not physically then through the earlier-heard song.

And this time, as the tinkling, soft melody rang out again, something juddered itself to life in Boris's mind, of lying on _something soft, his mind muddled, thoughts disconnected, but there was always, always someone there, with lights and soft song…_

Blinking hard, the wolf tried to clear the strange reverie that gripped his mind, even as the realization dawned that this…person, didn't want to hurt him. In a strange way, it reminded him of the nightmare he'd had while on Level 14, of Bendy being captured and turned into…

…A monster, but one that had tried to comfort the wolf rather than simply terrify him, the exact words flowing back into Boris's memory as he recalled more and more.

 _You need to hurry, you don't have much time._

It had been a warning, just like the vision in the mirror had been, telling him of what was to come. Even though this...person was chained up, probably in some amount of pain, their thought had been for the two toons, and the wolf specifically.

Boris wasn't sure whether to be confused or merely shocked, though the emotion still made him want to do…something, anything. Taking a halting, unsure step forward, the wolf reached out to the towering figure, swallowing as his hand drew closer and closer to the dark shape. But before his fingers could even touch, the 'ground' underneath suddenly fell away, Boris dropping in time with what felt like his stomach as he plunged down, down…

…And jerked awake on the floor with a gasp, nearly juddering himself out of the grip Bendy had on his shoulders. Slightly dizzy and unnerved, the wolf fought to reorient himself as he heard the little devil speaking.

"-pal, it's alright, it's me, but y'need t'get up, please!"

Despite the panic in his friend's tone, the wolf couldn't help but tearily stare at the smaller toon, sitting up almost quicker than he could process what he was doing and pulling Bendy into a desperate hug. The gesture was so sudden that the little devil was shocked into silence, drawn slowly back into reality by the fact that the wolf toon's arms were shaking around him.

"Boris…it's, it's alright, I'm here…"

That sentence honestly made the wolf want to cry harder, though he kept both his sobs and the knowledge that Bendy shouldn't be near him in check. If the little devil knew, if he had any idea of what was to happen to the wolf…

 _ **He'll find out though, soon enough.**_

Swallowing down a lump in his throat as tears threatened to spill over, Boris's eyes were drawn to the movement of his chimeric lookalike stumbling forward, a bubbling roar fountaining from the three heads. Catching sight of the bar lying on the floor within reach, the wolf took in a breath before he gave in to the boiling heat rising from his center, a dark film covering his vision.

As the noise of the monster coming registered Bendy started to squirm, but Boris was already in motion. Grabbing the bar, the taller toon hefted the little devil as he dashed forward and slammed the metal into the writhing mess of guts. The blow caused the monster to falter, ink spurting from its open ribcage and mouths as it stumbled back and took the bar from Boris's nerveless hands.

" _ **No! No! No! No!"**_ 'Alice' screamed over the intercoms, the Boris chimera finally falling onto the dais with a crash. _**"Why can't you ever just die?!"**_

As Bendy and the wolf himself watched, the hulking, twisted form started to bubble, turning entirely black before melting away into the floor. The very sight made Boris shudder, a sick feeling twisting his stomach as Bendy looked up at him.

"Don't worry, pal, it's-." The little devil paused, Boris briefly ripping his eyes away from the new, dark stain on the floor _ **-(was it just a trick of the light or could he see faces swimming around?)-**_ to look at the quietly stunned Bendy.

"Boris, your eyes-!" The remark confused the wolf at first, though blinking his still filmed-over vision was enough of a hint. He did not, however, have an answer. At least, not one that didn't give himself away, or occurred to him before an angry scream sounded from the other side of the room. With a flash of premonition, Boris looked up just in time to see 'Alice' come hurtling into the room, charging directly at him and Bendy.

The sight caused a brief conflict to fire in the wolf's brain, warring between the now palpable impulse to **strike back** and to not because this was Susie, had been Susie, he couldn't, he didn't want to give in completely…

Just before the warped angel reached them, Boris turned himself away, shielding the little devil still in his arms as his mind calmed.

 _If I'm going, then it'll be as me._

The thought gave him a strange peace, even as Bendy started to thrash against Boris.

But the attack both expected did not come. Instead, what they heard was the wet sound of something sharp sliding into an inky body. Looking back, the pair had a split-second view of 'Alice' standing there, a faint gasp on her lips as she stared at the blade which had rammed through her chest from behind.

The sight lasted only a moment, the warped angel falling sideways and landing on the floor with a soft thud. As the pair's eyes traveled back up, they saw their rescuer. Or, for that matter, rescuers.

The first, and it seemed the one who had stabbed 'Alice', was another human-turned-toon that resembled the angel. Though this one looked infinitely more balanced, with a whole, non-melted face and a more patchwork set of clothes, probably scavenged from the wrecked studio. Behind her stood, Bendy blinking at the sight as it registered, another…Boris?

It looked like Boris, that was for sure, but it wasn't. At least not quite. Namely the main difference was the fact that this Boris was sporting a familiar-looking prosthetic in the place of his left arm, which held a GENT pipe. Immediately the little devil's mind flashed back to the room with the recording from the lady-mechanic, the one where she'd been talking about the Bendy animatronic. Well, guess that solved the mystery as to where the arm went…

Another difference was that unlike the longer, more rounded features of the wolf that Bendy knew, this toon was, boxier? More solidly built, perhaps would be the better way of describing it, the other's shoulders definitely seemed wider apart, more muscular than the leaner, lankier frame that Boris had. While the other's face had been etched with a determined frown, the expression started to melt away at the sight of the other two toons, something like quiet shock drifting over the canid features instead. At least, it seemed like shock, primarily, there were a few emotions there for Bendy to read into, intertwined to the point where they were hard to pick apart. He could definitely see recognition, though that would hardly be surprising considering.

"…Bendy?" The angel asked, eyes wary but still considering as she peered from devil to wolf. "Boris?"

"…Yeah?" Bendy breathed, wondering if this rescue was about to turn into a run for their lives. Still, despite looking more than ready to fight, neither of them were moving.

That is until a clattering rang out from near the organ, causing everyone to jolt and spin around to face the aged instrument. However, Bendy quickly recognized the tiny, monochrome toon stumbling out onto the tracks, shuffling carefully over to the group.

"Wait, wait, don't!" He called, hurrying down to help the minute devil. Quickly picking Buddy up, Bendy hurried back to be with Boris on top of the dais, easing the tiny toon up first before climbing up himself.

At first, Bendy was a little amazed that Boris hadn't tried to run to Buddy first, though when he glanced over at the taller toon and noticed the closed posture and almost fearful, wretched expression on the canid face the little devil couldn't help but feel like there was something wrong. Not to mention that the wolf's eyes were still clouded over, so much so that it was almost hard to see his pupils.

Maybe Boris just didn't see Buddy, actually. That would explain it.

The little devil's attention was drawn away from the conundrum by Buddy's head turning in the direction of their mysterious rescuers, the tiny toon waiting an instant before taking a few shuffling steps in the direction of the pair.

"Bud, wait…!" Bendy hissed, though as it turned out he hardly needed to worry. Some of the angel's wariness eased at the sight of the miniature, sightless toon, to the point where she even crouched down, meeting the reaching mitten-gloves with her own hands.

"Hello." The word was a quiet, almost warm sound, to the point where Bendy might've wondered if the angel knew Buddy. But, somehow, that didn't seem to be the case. At the very least, there didn't seem to be any sign of clear-cut recognition. It just seemed like the natural thing when confronted with something small and helpless-looking.

And Buddy didn't seem to know her either, the tiny toon's face tilting in what seemed like confusion before he reached up towards her. Perhaps he was just trying to figure out what she looked like.

The other wolf toon didn't seem to really know Buddy either, though he was peering down at the minute devil with a sort of careful curiosity. As the angel moved to pick Buddy up, the motion was careful and almost practiced, reminding Bendy of how mothers handled their younger kids. Maybe…whoever this was, she'd been a mom?

The thought was somewhat chased from his mind as the closer proximity allowed the other wolf toon to reach towards Buddy's face, at the bandage which was still wrapped around his head. Fearing for the tiny toon's wounds, Bendy hastened to call out.

"Wait, don't touch that!"

The pair started, the faint tenderness and curiosity vanishing from the scene as their attention snapped from Buddy to Bendy, the smaller toon frozen as he reached out to them. It suddenly occurred to the little devil that these were the only armed people in the room, the thought of which caused his words to stammeringly leave his throat.

"Y-You can't take that off, his eyes, they're, they're hurt…"

A faint, comprehending 'oh' from the angel, and the other wolf's hand slowly withdrew. Albeit now that the moment was gone, the pair's attention refocused on Boris and Bendy. Though, as Bendy watched, he noticed the angel's eyes narrow as she looked at Boris, causing the taller toon to fidget uncomfortably. What was that about?

"…We should go. It's not safe here."

Well, not exactly unsound advice, and Bendy was more than ready to leave. Reaching out to Boris, the little devil felt a few, strained seconds pass before the wolf's hand loosely grabbed onto his.

The haunted house suddenly gave an ominous rumble, the Alice-lookalike jerking her head up to peer at something on the ceiling. Though Bendy tried to look, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, at least not before the 'angel' turned to call back.

"We need to go, now!" The urgency in her voice threw the other wolf toon into action, a metallic arm quickly gesturing for Bendy and Boris to follow.

As they all started to move as one to the door, the rumbling grew louder and louder, Bendy throwing his body into a pell-mell sprint as he felt dust start to rain down on his horns. Just as the rag-tag group threw themselves into the dark hallway, a hail of debris came down from the ceiling, Bendy turning away and throwing his arms up to protect his face. As he lowered them, the little devil looked at what he had thought was Boris's hand on his shoulder and was completely surprised to see that the other wolf toon was the one touching him instead. The newcomer was standing partially in between him and the now-collapsed entryway, covering his face with his prosthetic arm as the dust settled.

But, with that observation in Bendy's mind, and the light beaming in through a hole towards the top of the pile in front of the door, the little devil realized with a start that Boris was not with them. The shadowy space was instead occupied by the Alice-lookalike (who was still holding onto Buddy), the other wolf toon, and himself.

A faint, watery coughing on the other side just confirmed Bendy's thoughts, the smaller toon feeling something clench as he raced back to the doorway.

"Boris! Boris are you okay?!"

A faint pause, the coughs dying down to nothing with a second or two of silence before the wolf actually answered him, voice winded and faint.

"…Yeah, yeah 'm fine."

"Alright, good, that's good…" Bendy murmured, more to himself than anything as he tried to think of a way to solve this, while his mind both puzzled over the coughing and sudden weakness in Boris's voice. Was he getting sick again? If so, then why was he saying he was fine?

Maybe he didn't realize it, like before? Still, while the questions were all well and good, it wasn't helping with this problem. Peering around, Bendy's tense expression melted a little as he realized that this was a ride, with the track designed to go all the way around.

"A-Alright, maybe we can meet up, just go back out the way we came in and we'll meet you there-!"

But the other wolf toon was tapping him on the shoulder, shaking his head. At Bendy's uncomprehending stare, the angel hastened to explain.

"I think she blocked it. You have to go through the control room to get out of here, and it doesn't connect with the rest of the ride."

Meaning it wouldn't connect with Storage 9, probably. Why did everything have to be complicated?! Groaning, Bendy fought the urge to thunk his head into old, splintery wooden planks in front of him before his eyes found the hole that he'd noticed a moment ago. Well, it wasn't the best, but…

"Boris, maybe you can climb through, up there, y'see th' hole?"

Another long pause, before…

"…Yeah, I see-." The wolf's words choked off in another round of coughing, the gurgling, wet nature to the noise driving Bendy to try climbing the boards on his side. The idea of the wolf sitting on the other side growing sickly and feverish was certainly motivating, but for the life of him Bendy couldn't get more than a foot up the ramshackle incline. The boards just weren't arranged in a way that worked well for climbing.

"Pal, I can't get t'you, you havta come t'me! Just try t'climb up t'that hole up there, y-you can move some of th' planks an' slide through, you'll fit, it'll work-!"

"Ben…" The wolf coughed out, sounding like there was something in his throat before he managed to clear it and spoke again, a low growl of a rasp in his voice. "I don' think…I can't go with you."

"What?" Bendy had to have misheard, right? Fighting back the feeling of something twisting horribly in his guts, he tried to keep speaking. "B-Boris, c'mon, don' joke, you c'n just move those-!"

He was too short to reach the planks in question, but he knew the taller toon could easily. And then Boris could climb over to his side and they could hurry up and get out of here and Bendy could pretend that everything, particularly the last few minutes, was all a horrible, horrible nightmare…

But nothing shifted, and Boris stayed on the other side. Bendy could hear the wolf give another round of gurgling coughs, the sounds tapering off after a few moments. Swallowing, he reached to a little gap in the boards, his arm fitting up to the elbow as he tried to touch some part of Boris as though to pull him through the barrier.

Though the hand that met his was different than Bendy remembered, tipped with claws that poked through the long-fingered gloves. The pieces were starting to click in the devil's mind, but a thick blanket of shock blocked anything from getting through beyond a very distant, dim realization.

"Pal…" Bendy whined, feeling ink start to run down his face. "Boris, please…"

For a brief instant, the wolf's hand squeezed his, growing painfully tight before ripping itself away with a gasp which turned into another row of gurgling coughs.

"Boris?! Boris, talk t'me, what's happening? Y'alright?"

"We should go." The angel whispered from somewhere behind him, the bare suggestion of leaving immediately sending Bendy's burgeoning panic into overdrive.

"N-No! No, I'm not leavin' him! Boris, just climb over!"

"Bendy…" The soft voice went again, heavy with an emotion that at this point Bendy did not want to hear, did not want to address. Because then he would be…accepting this, and he didn't need to just accept it, he needed for his pal to listen and just climb over the damn boards instead of acting like…!

"NO!" The devil barked over his shoulder, whirling back to the barricade just in time to notice the coughs growing fainter, almost as though Boris was moving away. "Boris?! Boris, don't-just come here, pal, please! Please!"

"Sorry, Ben…" Boris groaned, the words stunning the smaller toon into silence just long enough for Boris to holler to their would-be rescuers. "Sir, ma'am? C-C'n y'take care'a them, please?"

"Boris, stop talkin' like that, stop-!" Bendy's frantic, angry yell was cut off when the other wolf toon finally reached down and scooped him up, pinning him and dragging him away from the barricade, from Boris. "L-Lemme go-put me DOWN, y'palooka! BORIS!"

The desperate holler seemed to tease something from the wolf on the other side of the barricade, a faint sob in Boris's next words.

"'m sorry, Ben, I c-can't, I don't wanna h-hurt y-!" The speech cut off with more coughing, Boris's lungs sounding like they were water-logged. But, under the panic, Bendy floundered. The words made no sense, why would Boris be afraid of hurting him?

 _Though you could probably guess, couldn't you?_

"BORIS, COME BACK!" Bendy screamed, throwing rationality entirely to the wind in the face of pure, rabid adrenaline as he tried everything from kicking out to biting whatever exposed skin was available. But no matter what he tried, the other wolf toon kept a firm hold, even twisting him sideways and pinning him so tightly that he had a harder time moving. Still, Bendy tried, with everything he had.

"BORIS!" Ink and tears were cascading down his face, mixing into a sticky, liquid mess. But still, the other wolf toon took one step back, and another, echoing the growing distance between the barrier and the source of those horrible, gurgling coughs Boris was still making.

"BORIS, PLEASE!"

"'m…s-sorry, Ben…" The faint wheeze sounded so weak, almost as though it were some herald, a last gasp of the wolf toon that Bendy knew. And, seemingly to finalize the whole horrid thing, the sounds of the taller toon hurrying away reached his ears, letting him know that it was over. That Boris was gone.

"BOR-Bori-i-is…" The first syllable had come out as a scream, like the rest, but hysterical tears had changed the rest to a reedy, wailing sob. But there was no returning sound, not even a cough from the other side of the barricade. And, with nothing left to keep them there, the angel quietly gestured to the other wolf, indicating that they should start moving. Though Bendy did try to struggle, it was more token at this point, the comprehension rising in the little devil like a cold flood.

It only clinched itself in the headache he felt blooming in his head nary a moment later, strong at first but steadily moving away. Though the pain robbed Bendy of the ability to articulate, he did try to force his way out, to make a last-ditch effort to save his pal from the thing he knew was here, knew was close. But the other wolf's arms would not let go, and their path came close enough that Bendy was able to let himself surrender to the pressure building behind his eyes.

Boris was gone. The studio had claimed him, probably for good this time.

And it was all **his** **fault** …

* * *

...Whelp, now I can commiserate about this, and state again with complete seriousness that if I could reach into the story, I would happily break my hands on Joey's face.


	9. Ch8: Be Still

A/N: Hello all! Hopefully this isn't too delayed, I was initially hoping to get this completely done by March, but a fair bit started happening and made me push it back about a month. Hope everyone's doing well, and that if you've had to do taxes that they weren't too much of an ordeal. As always, Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by themeatly, the HATIM AU is the brainchild of thelostmoongazer on Tumblr, and kick your feet up if you can, relax, and enjoy!

* * *

Be Still:

His legs burned, mind equal parts buzzing and sluggish as he ran. Boris felt his throat grow slick, his lungs seizing in a gurgling cough as he felt something bubble into his mouth, his jog stumbling into a lean against the entryway into the haunted house. A white glove came away with a black smear, the sight causing fear to seize the wolf's insides. A part of him wanted to run back, wanted to go back to the only safety and help he had known in this place, but he knew he couldn't. Knew that if he did, all he would be doing would be condemning the two devils to be trapped within the studio, turning Bendy into something he was terrified of becoming, and Buddy-.

No, no he couldn't go back. He had to keep running, he had to get as far away as possible. And then he'd…he'd just…

 _ **Be alone**_ **.** The thought made a few, gloopy tears slide free, the wolf hardly needing to look to see that the water was mixing with the ink already gathering in his eyes.

But he had to. To keep Bendy and Buddy safe, he had to run, get as far away from them as he could. Before he wouldn't have the thought to.

Fighting down a shudder, the wolf was about to keep running when a faint feeling started to permeate his form, a humming emanating from his right. Gaze turning to the inside of the ride at first revealed nothing, before Boris caught sight of odd little flickers in the semi-darkness.

It was only when a familiar, overall-covered, and towering figure slid into view that the strange movement clicked, Boris feeling his heart stammer in his chest as something a little more powerful than fear took hold. Acting on instinct, the taller toon started to run, heading clear past the Lil' Miracle Station before he could blink. Racing up the stairs, Boris caught sight of 'Sammy' leaving the confines of the haunted house, barely wasting a moment before steaming ahead through Storage 9.

 _ **It's coming for me**_. The chilling thought forced the wolf to keep going even as the spasms rattling through his lungs were calling for him to stop. But once he got back to the entryway room, Boris found that the little means of escape he had, namely the vent, were completely cut off. The covering had been placed back on, and his attempts to move it only proved that it was screwed in tight. The only other option was the workroom up the stairs, but there was no way out of there. If he tried to go up, all he would be doing was trapping himself in a different spot.

His thoughts freezing in a blind panic, Boris backed away from the vent, retreating into the center of the room just as that creeping, humming feeling started to come again. Head slowly turning in the direction of the door, the wolf caught sight of the flickers of black edging over the threshold, right before 'Sammy' himself appeared in the archway.

Boris turned, his brain firing frantically between the option of prolonging the chase and the simple realization that there was no way out.

And, the closer 'Sammy' got, the more the wolf's already ink-logged lungs spasmed, his heart frantically beating in his ears. Feeling a choking, terrified sob rattle its way up his throat, Boris shuffled further and further back as the smothering aura came closer and closer.

 **Ploosh**

The odd sound briefly distracted the wolf, Boris's heavily inkshot eyes darting down to see ink pooling around his feet, flowing from somewhere behind him. It was in completely the wrong direction for the source to be 'Sammy', though the only thing behind him was…

Caught in the fear of looking away from the oncoming horror, Boris's head creakily turned, eyes easily spotting the monolith of Bendy at his back. But unlike before, the hulking statue was not a dusky sepia, but a writhing black as ink poured over its surface.

Immediately the image of the Bendy statue from his vision came back, the manner in which the ink was flooding the room reminding the wolf of how it had moved like a live thing, seeking its victim out even before he had been dropped in...

Another cough rattled through Boris's lungs, right as a sharp pain spiked in the tips of his fingers. Peering down at the white gloves, the taller toon felt his stomach freeze at the sight of small, black claws starting to poke through the white livery.

And the ink wouldn't stop coming. The wolf could feel a bit dribbling from the sides of his mouth, the various aches and pain lancing through him in time with his heartbeat as 'Sammy' inched closer, boxing him in the ink pool.

Though Boris did not notice it, the dark fluid was starting to bubble at the base of the statue, where his path was unconsciously taking him.

 _ **No one can help you.**_ A little voice whispered in the wolf's mind, blotting out everything except the oncoming horror, the roaring of his heart in his ears, and the aches and pains reverberating through his changing form. As Boris gave a desperate, involuntary sob, the thoughts continued to spin.

 _ **No one is coming to save you. You're going to be just like the rest of them. Just another monster. Just like in the stories.**_

There was a brief moment of warning in something wet frothing around his feet before Boris's shoes slipped, causing him to stumble back into the ink-soaked statue. However, his attempts to regain his footing failed, as he felt his body start to sink into the base of the monolith.

Fear seized the wolf, his motions going from pained jerks to frantic scrambling as he tried to pull himself away. But for all his energy, Boris's efforts only managed to make him sink faster into the statue base. What should have been solid, strong wood felt like taffy around his arms and legs, pulling him down into what felt like a suffocating, slimy mush. And, as he sank further and further, 'Sammy' edged closer and closer, the smothering presence of the once-music director squeezing at Boris's insides.

Despite the fact that terror pulsated through him with an intensity that rivaled his own heartbeat, the wolf floundered like a drowning man, reaching for the monster who had once been his mentor. Even with ink flooding his lungs and throat, the noise burbling from Boris's mouth did vaguely resemble Sammy's name.

But by that point, he was in up to his waist, and with the majority of his body gone the wolf toon was slipping all the faster. Just as his head slid under, Boris was able to make out 'Sammy' turning away before everything went black.

* * *

Buddy turned his head away from the Lady's shoulder as he heard something click. Thankfully, the colors weren't too bad down here. He didn't feel the need to shy away from the walls, to avoid touching everything except the bare minimum lest something swirling around actually find a way to rub off on him. This place, wherever it was, was instead a mix of calm greens, browns, and blues, swimming with the usual coating of oil-slick-like miasma that whirled through every board in the old studio.

The presence of the colors calmed the minute devil, their composition quietly playing in his mind as he picked them apart. Blue flickers here and there, but the Lady was dripping blue so that was no surprise. There were, predominantly, greens and browns, with a flicker of bright, fiery yellow here and there, like the other toon that was with them. The one that smelled kind of like…

… _Boris_. The thought of which made Buddy reflexively curl up a little as the emotions kept at bay bubbled up again. Boris's colors had normally been strong greens, blues, and rings of sunny yellows, at least from what the tiny toon had seen. But, when the black interlaid with the oil-slick miasma had started to bloom…

If the wolf wasn't with the others in the walls yet, he soon would be. Or perhaps, he'd end up worse off, though the thought of Boris ending up like the thunderstorm of oil-slick and warped color that was the screeching monster, the one called Norman, made the tiny toon feel ill.

But, at least he hadn't had whatever happened to Bendy happen to him. It had been a little hard to make out, but Buddy had briefly caught sight of the other devil's colors flaring in a sickly, warped rush, almost in answer to the familiar-but-not-quite feeling that had erupted from the big room in the haunted house. Not colors, but a thrumming so powerful that it felt like it had reverberated inside the tiny toon's skull.

Then Bendy had gone dim, and from what Buddy could 'see', he hadn't changed. It worried the minute devil, reminding him of the faces that swam through the walls and in the ink, the faint suggestions of features pulled and twisted in grim despair. But there was only so much he could do while being carried, so for the trip Buddy had to hope that Bendy was alright. At least now, in what seemed like a relatively safe place, he could actually try to get a better 'look' at the other devil.

"Tom, how is he?" The Lady asked, Buddy watching as 'Tom's colors brightened with being addressed. The question made the other toon draw in closer, Buddy 'peering' at Bendy's prone form as it came near. At first, he thought that the other devil's colors were the same as that of the other toon's before Buddy realized that those were Tom's colors, enfolding around Bendy like a protective coating or sheath. But as he peered closer, they drew back, allowing the tiny toon to see the dull, lethargic smears of grey, white, maybe a hint of blue and sickly yellow-greens if he squinted.

The worst of it all was a mashing of sharp, harsh lines, a pattern on the other devil's front resembling a shattered window. The breaks were all a florid, infirm white, almost ghostly as they seeped more of the pallid color along with a heavy, smothering black. Briefly, Buddy's 'gaze' zipped down to his own front, his own frame softly glimmering with silver and blue, and a small, spiderweb gathering of cracks splayed across his upper chest. However, these were hardly seeping, maybe the occasional bit of grey would slip out but it was a mere trickle compared to the veritable fog emanating from Bendy.

And, all the more worrying was that the little devil wasn't saying anything, wasn't moving. He only lay in Tom's arms, completely silent and still.

Now fighting a twisting, strangling feeling in his chest, Buddy leaned out of the Lady's arms, towards the faint buzz of faded color. He could just hear the Lady make a noise to Tom, probably something along the lines of 'come closer' as the other toon inched nearer a moment later. Running mitten gloves over what he could reach of Bendy's head, Buddy was rewarded when the other devil gave a breathy sigh, shifting faintly in Tom's arms before going quiet again. The movements did alleviate the tension some, but Buddy could still see the faintness of Bendy's colors, the seeping, glaring monochrome from the cracks, and knew that it would not be as easy as that-.

- _His eyes were burning. The tiny toon trembled as he curled up, mitten gloves a shaky flurry of motion as he both tried to do something about the wetness covering his eyes, and not touch any part of his face because it was BURNING. Sobs rattled through his frame one after the other, his mind torn between the immediate reality that was his profusely bleeding, painful face and the feeling of_ _ **sharp tools, burning liquids biting into his skin and splashing into his eyes, and he COULDN'T MOVE-.**_

 _Suddenly they were there. Even sightless he knew the feeling they gave off, the faint hum of something electric in the air coupled with the scent of ink and paper, along with a sharper tang that the tiny toon could never find a name for._

 _They immediately tried to pick him up, long-fingered, soft, thrumming hands gently easing under his vibrating frame, though the first hint of movement caused pain to bubble through his face, the simmering hurt triggering a nearly silent gasp to erupt from his lungs. Quickly, the hands released him, the loss of contact forcing the tiny toon to fling out a mitten-covered hand, trying to find his friend,_ _ **please don't go, no one's coming, he's never coming back, he doesn't care, please don't leave too-!**_

 _But they weren't leaving. The humming did not fade away, the hands back a moment later with a newfound sense of care. As they gently cupped under the tiny toon's head, his brain became filled with a light, airy sensation, the pain quietly easing to something more manageable. He vaguely noticed the feeling of what seemed like more liquids running off him, away from his face and eyes, but the observation was lost as the hands moved to wipe at the tiny toon's head._

 _But, as they cleared the slurry from his face, the minute devil distantly realized that, he should be seeing far more than he currently was. His face was cleared, he could feel his eyes open, but still everything was a black wall pressing against his face, pressing down on him, much like his own ink had as his face turned into_ _ **ACHING, ACRID BURNING**_ _-._

 _The newfound burst of panic rattled the calm that they had created, their hands hurriedly moving to lift him up as he started to cry anew. He could just faintly hear them humming, going for a more traditional route at restoring calm, but his hysterics were as all-encompassing as the black filling his vision._

 _But, just as the tiny toon seemed fit to start crying himself out, a hand gently pressed to the top of his forehead, almost as though it were checking his temperature. And, as it lifted away, color started to bloom in his vision. Albeit, they were hardly the colors that he was used to, the duller sepias and monochrome almost paltry in the face of the blooming rainbow that seemed to whirl all about from somewhere in front of him._

 _This was them, he realized, he was seeing them._

 _The realization only heightened the strange splendor the sight provoked, the tiny toon completely still and quiet as he stared and stared, reading into the whirls of color, every swirling rainbow pattern, every star-bright pinprick, the little shows that they had done for him making sense, they were like the colors and stars he'd seen leap from their hands, rather than something dark like ink._

 _He could have kept staring, he could have stared until he'd completely wasted away if it were not for the fact that he could feel himself being turned from the source, the whirling rainbow of color swinging out of his view only to be replaced with something else. This was duller, further away, though it swam with an almost slick sheen of the same colors they were composed of. These were all wrong though, there was a sickness, almost a miasma to these that made him less enchanted and more…wary. Almost like if he looked at it wrong it would leap out at him. A faint flicker of motion in the color made him aware of a shape sliding through like it was riding on the top of a liquid, the tiny toon realizing with a shivering start the more he stared that he was looking at a face._

 _A face pulled in agony, from the gaping mouth and the squinted eyes, almost like it was frozen in the act of screaming. Immediately his brain spun with questions, who was that, why were they in pain, what had happened, as his body leaned reflexively away from the sight. But as his distress became more and more obvious, their hands gently steered him to be tucked up against their chest, the rainbow patterns still swirling but this time he was not looking at it straight on. Instead of blindingly transfixing, the colors were simply warm, calming, like being near a candle in a dark room._

 _But as he was curled up, the tiny toon caught a glimpse of himself, the sudden presence of something softly glowing a dull white and sharp black causing him to focus on a spot just under his chin. There, splayed across his chest, was a fissure that looked like it carved deep into his body, the seeming wound seeping the earlier noticed monochrome along with a flicker or two of sickly greenish yellow. As he took in the dismal display, the tiny toon's mind became filled again with the negative emotions, the pain, the hurt, every bit of terrible suffering that had happened to him under his creator's care. It nearly swept him away, the sheer emotional toll, the ripple effect spiraling through his very psyche._

 _He was broken, wrong, so very wrong that his own creator, his_ _ **OWN CREATOR didn't care for him, and he had no way to fix it, no way to see, he was going to starve or die alone down here because the man wasn't coming back for him, no one was coming for him-.**_

 _A gentle jostle shook the tiny toon from his dismal thoughts, forcing him away from the literal peering into his own soul to them. Though they did not turn him forward again, they did still start up the same soft, ethereal crooning, their colors washing over him like cleansing water. As he looked to the tendrils of rainbows, he noticed the faint, barely-there hairline cracks, leaking the same glaring colors, but these were different. They were smaller, closing before his very eyes._

" _ **You will make it through, my little one, my bright star.**_ " _The voice seemed to both rumble all around him, and somehow hum so softly that he nearly needed to strain to hear it._ _**"What is broken can always mend. Even a heart."**_

 _Ink saturated tears trickled down from the tiny toon's sightless eyes, but there was something more therapeutic in these, something more unburdening than his earlier hysterics. Though they probably didn't have long, his creator made sure they never did, he clung to the ethereal, humming frame for all it was worth, crying softly-_

The reverie broke as Buddy noticed the Lady was moving him again, she and Tom heading to a room in the back of this little knoll. This one had a much stronger concentration of the green coloring that seemed to be the other toon's trademark, Tom's encompassing aura briefly pushing outward as though reaffirming the space. The Lady moved aside, an arm slipping away from Buddy as she spoke.

"Just lay him there, we'll see if he needs any help in just a moment."

The tiny toon kept track as Tom's almost fire-like green and brown surged forward, easing the quietly whirling fog that was Bendy down on something above the floor before backing away. Though the Lady's colors did flare brighter for a moment, bunching together like they were about to spring into action, they immediately faltered as she seemed to re-register Buddy's presence. It seemed almost too quickly that the tiny toon felt himself being held out, the soft voice murmuring a new command to Tom.

"Take him for a moment, please? I'll be right back."

And Buddy was plopped into a set of arms that honestly perplexed him more than anything. Firstly, one felt like a slightly bigger, floofier version of Boris's, the other was partly that, and metal from a few inches under the elbow down to the fingers. It was so odd that for just an instant, the minute devil wished that he could actually see. Instead though, he was relegated to just feeling what he could through his mittens, trying to figure out what he could from texture alone. Softness, and suddenly something hard and stiff like it had been torn away from the walls of the studio itself. Had the bad things tried to make Tom one with the ones in the walls?

But, as Buddy tried to get a better 'look' at this phenomenon, he couldn't help but notice that the green-brown combination of color was coming from there just as much as it was any other part of Tom's body, as though it were just as much a functioning limb as any other despite the difference.

But as his hands found what felt like a cable attached to the side of the arm, Tom abruptly dropped him onto a desk as the canid toon's colors flared with sharp, harsh greens, reds, and yellows, the brown disappearing almost entirely. On his new perch Buddy found himself bunching up in fright because he could only guess at what he had done wrong, what retribution the wolf might rain down on him, he could only think the words because he couldn't speak them, because **it was bad to speak** _ **-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I won't be bad anymore, I won't, please don't hurt me…!**_

Though, Tom didn't come back right away. Instead the wolf's colors folded close to his frame, almost like he was drawing up some sort of defense, before they whirled to refocus on the tiny toon. Despite the protective, wary bunching, Tom's hands were hesitant as they came to rest on the minute devil's head, painstakingly careful, Buddy still flinching and shivering under even the relatively light touch. At the shaking, Tom pulled back, colors flickering about for a moment before he decided to try again.

But this time the touch was a little firmer, a little more sure of the fact that the tiny toon wouldn't simply snap under the pressure of the much larger hand. The fingers that gently rubbed small circles into Buddy's head were gloved, not the rigid, inflexible limb that he'd been fascinated by before. Honestly, the similarity was so close to Boris that it made the minute devil crawl closer as his sniffles started to turn into overwhelmed crying, Buddy's system wrung out by all that he had experienced, and the daunting nature of what was to come. _**How could he help Bendy, how could he do anything, he just seemed to make things worse…**_

As Buddy edged across the desk, his foot kicked something that made an odd, papery sound as it slid to the side. Head turning in the direction of the noise, the tiny toon was surprised to see an odd, faintly familiar flicker of color on the oil-slick coated greens and browns. Whatever he had kicked, it was flat, though the whirl of rainbow floating in and about the shape immediately had Buddy turn, his tears tapering down as his attention redirecting entirely at the small bit of recognizability.

A quiet sigh quickly forced Buddy to reconsider though, especially when the rigid, not-feeling-like-an-arm arm slipped in to scoop him up. Though this was quickly joined by the sensation of being pressed to a warm, fur-covered chest, a strong heartbeat thumping against his ear, Buddy did not forget what he had seen. As his head turned, still trying to consider the paper but not willing to outright defy Tom by trying to move away, the wolf seemed to clue into the reason for Buddy's distraction. As such, the tiny toon 'watched' as the small, flat shape was picked up off the desk, held up in front of him by Tom's softly glowing hand.

Though he couldn't read a whit of what was on the paper, he could still see the color, the flickering drawing Buddy to reach out to it, perhaps with some faint hope that by touching this one little offshoot, he could somehow reach its source. But, at the end of the day, the paper was just a paper, and Buddy's hands still remained frustratingly empty as the Lady walked back in with a meager, makeshift first aid kit.

In order for them to work Buddy was placed on the desk, the tiny toon still holding the slip of paper though he set it to the side as what was happening became more and more apparent even to his sightless eyes. Thankfully it didn't seem as though Bendy was really bleeding anywhere, the bandages wrapped around the little devil's chest, head, and leg only covering small bumps, or faintly disrupted skin under the fur that spoke of older injuries. For all intents and purposes, the wrappings were not needed, and dirty, so the angel removed them, Tom doing his best to gently steer Bendy's unconscious form this way and that so the angel could work. There were a few scrapes the smaller toon had on his arms and knees, but these were relatively minor and apart from being cleaned they were left alone.

After about ten minutes, the angel had to concede that they'd done all they could. The little devil was quietly tucked in on a hammock that hung towards the back of the room, with just enough room so that it could swing comfortably. As Tom set Bendy's coat and scarf on a chair, he gave a somewhat mulish and frustrated look to the still careworn, dismal features the little devil wore like a weight strapped to his head. The look softened somewhat as the wolf considered the dour, exhausted expression etched on Bendy's face even in sleep.

A moment later, a metallic arm carefully reached out, tapping at the side of the hammock and sending it into a calm, slow rock.

"Tom, can you help me?" The soft question broke the wolf's concentration, Tom turning from Bendy to where the angel was facing Buddy. The tiny toon still sat on a ramshackle desk pressed to the wall, sightless eyes peering up at the turn in the conversation. Buddy jolted a little as the first aid kit was set on the table next to him, the angel opening the metal top and digging around inside. Noticing the manner in which the minute devil's head was flipping back and forth, between her noise and the sound of Tom approaching, the angel took pity on the blind toon.

"It's alright, we're just going to replace your bandage." Probably a good thing to do, given that the scrap of cloth looked like it had been dragged through a few different variations of mud. Ink-based systems or not, keeping a wound clean still mattered.

Buddy did stay still when the angel gently wound the strip of fabric off, though he still quivered, flinching as his injuries were exposed to the air. The wounds were still weeping, she quickly moving to wipe the excess ink away. In doing so, she exposed the pale, sightless pie-cut eyes underneath. Her hands stilled, the angel just managing to suppress a flinch on the grounds that she would jostle the tiny toon's injuries. She could hear Tom take in a hissing breath of air behind her, Buddy flinching ( _colors went_ _ **sick**_ _, they're_ _ **not happy**_ _,_ _ **not happy, what did he do what did he do wrong?**_ ) at the sound.

As the tiny toon started to reflexively curl up in fright, the angel snapped out of her quiet shock, her brows furrowing in both aching sympathy and a quieter, more personal upset. Though Buddy initially flinched at the feeling of a hand resting on his shoulder, the manner in which the angel rubbed gentle lines into his upper back slowly drew some measure of calm. Albeit he couldn't relax completely, not when Tom's colors were starting to turn dark and sharp, the brown flaring with angry, angry red and yellow flames. The calmer, deep green was almost completely absent from the wolf, though there were flickers of it at the base of the emotional firestorm, which mostly eased the worry that Tom was changing, that something really bad was happening. Though a part of Buddy had a hard time seeing this as anything but bad as while the man, his creator, had showed a fair amount of rage or upset in the short time the minute devil had known him, he'd always had a certain way of reacting towards Buddy when he was in this sort of a mood.

Though, as Buddy internally fretted and debated whether or not he should hide, the angel simply took note of the hard stare the wolf was aiming at the wall, and the manner in which his arms were crossed with his hands clenched into tight fists. Reaching out to Tom, she waited for him to look from the hand resting on his arm to her face before speaking.

"Let's just try to help him, Tom. One step at a time." The quiet guidance eased the frustrated anger in the wolf, his stance relaxing piecemeal as the expression on his face melted into one of solemn planning. Though the bad mood seemed to pass with redirection, the angel noted that Tom's metal hand had not yet opened.

"Tom," She murmured, the toon's ears twitching as his head turned to look in her direction. "Can you open your hand?"

A frown creased the canid snout as the wolf hurried to peer at his metallic limb, the fingers trembling slightly before they were able to pry themselves apart into a more relaxed position. The mobility did cause the angel to relax, her hand gently resting on what she could reach of Tom's shoulder before she was forced to move the moment along and turn back to Buddy. The tiny toon's wounds had started to weep again, the ink trickling down around the dirtied, moon-like face.

With gentle motions, she did her best to clean up the new and old mess, before using the few strips from the makeshift first aid kit. Though Buddy flinched and winced in starts throughout the whole procedure he did hold still, letting the angel's careful fingers tie a new bandage around his head. The minute devil briefly padded at the cloth, before pulling his tiny hands away and peering sightlessly up at the angel.

"How does it feel? Is it too tight?" The soft voice made the tiny face scrunch as he did a mental survey, but ultimately Buddy gave the angel a small nod; everything was fine.

"My name is Allison and his is Tom. Can you tell us your name?"

Not that Buddy wasn't grateful for the more direct telling, but the thought of trying to speak made his skin crawl. He was never supposed to talk, **never make noise, noise was bad, noise made his creator mad...**

"It's okay, it's okay, you don't have to…does it, hurt, to talk? Does your throat hurt?"

The soft, quietly worried voice of Allison eased some of the twisting anxiety churning at Buddy's insides, the questions turning his thoughts to more concrete, analytical venues.

His throat had been a somewhat spotty ever since his creator had…had tried to fix his eyes. Perhaps some of the burning liquids had splashed into his mouth, but the few, weird noises that he'd been able to make hadn't hurt, exactly. But they did feel odd on his vocal chords. Odd enough that it wasn't just his creator's old lessons regarding making noise that kept him quiet, though that was certainly a big part of it.

But, he wasn't totally sure. Maybe, maybe he'd have to try to feel it out, though the thought made his fur-covered skin want to shiver off his inky body. Taking in a slight breath, Buddy shakily opened his mouth, and let out a whistling breath along with a buzz of staticky humming that should have been a very, very soft 'aaahhh'.

The noise made both sets of colors flare up for a moment, blurs of sick-yellow and green overtaking the gentler greens, browns, and blues. Then a set of slim-fingered hands pressed to the sides of his head, the sudden presence of someone touching him causing Buddy to jump and freeze like a deer in the path of an oncoming car. Not that Allison wanted to prolong the poor toon's fright any more than she'd already had, the angel quickly withdrawing once it was clear that she'd startled Buddy.

Though, while she certainly could only do so much for an internal injury, especially one as crucial as a small, impossible-to-reach spot as the throat, she could definitely look to any other needs that the tiny toon might have.

"…Would you be able to eat? We can warm up some soup for you…" The suggestion did cause Buddy to nod, the angel quietly smiling with a grateful sigh at the opportunity to do something.

"Come on, we'll go and get it ready, let Bendy rest." Allison murmured, gently picking up the tiny toon and making to leave the room. However, as it became clear that they were heading for the door and away from the hammock, Buddy started to lean away, face pinching in upset. Thankfully it didn't take Allison and Tom long to figure out the reason for Buddy's sudden fervor, the angel quickly coming to a decision.

"It's alright, we'll bring him some when he wakes up, we'll come back…" The hurried soothing did seem to calm the minute devil down, but his expression hardly cleared. In an effort to further mollify him Allison turned to Tom, the wolf nodding at the silent question in her eyes. He moved to get the chair tucked into the desk, pulling it as quietly as possible over to the still-slumbering Bendy and settling down to wait.

As the pair went out, Tom considered the small slip of scrap paper forgotten on the desk, scribbled with his own untidy scrawl. Even in the low light, his eyes could make out the words, easily reading them to himself.

 _THEY SAID BENDY AND BORIS ARE COMING SOON._

* * *

"…hopefully he will see reason. Lord knows everyone else…"

Whispers. Murmuring. Boris felt the feeling flood back into his limbs nearly one microbe at a time, his frame awkwardly propped on something with a hard, sparsely cushioned surface. The worst of his complaints, apart from stiffness and zinging aches, was a dull pulsating weight concentrated behind his sternum, almost like there was something more gathered in there apart from his heart. Weakly, the wolf shifted around trying to see if he could dispel the odd feeling, but the movement only made everything swim, the pounding roaring through his ears forcing him to still.

Just as it cleared, Boris caught the sounds of a cane tapping against a hard wood floor as the source came to stand in front of him. His eyes opening, the wolf fought the weakness and pain as the world swam into view.

He couldn't help starting at the sight of Joey Drew standing in front of him, though when he tried to remember why his creator would have this strong a reaction, Boris couldn't come up with anything. He knew there was something there, something important, but it seemed so hazy and far away, like trying to look at things through a misted window.

"Hello, Boris. You've given us all quite a scare."

"I…I did?" Why did his mouth feel so…off? Dry but gluey at the same time, turning his words into a slurring mumble. Had he been sick? Was he sick?

"Indeed. But, not to worry, you'll be right as rain in no time." Joey said, voice almost jovial as Boris struggled to keep up. He was going to be alright? That was good, but what was this Joey was saying, about something he needed the wolf to do. It wasn't that Boris didn't want to help, but part of him wasn't sure he would be able to get out of the chair. Everything still felt so wobbly and wrong, the throbbing under his ribcage weighing heavier and heavier as the minutes crawled by.

"Actually, Boris, I wanted to be the first to give you the good news! Bendy's come home."

The thought was, elating, to say the least, and given that Joey didn't sound the least bit upset Boris concluded that the devil was alright. But…somehow, he wasn't as surprised by the news as he thought he would be. It was almost like he'd…already known? But that didn't make any sense, he hadn't spoken to anyone…

 _-Bendy's figure trembled, the wolf's eyes roving over the patchwork coat and scarf the little devil was adorned in, a wild franticness to his dark-rimmed eyes-_

…had he maybe seen Bendy already? Before he'd gotten sick? Though before Boris could follow the train of thought, Joey was speaking again, the wolf hastening to throw his attention back into the conversation.

"Actually, you might be able to **find Bendy** yourself, Boris, if you're feeling up to it." The voice was casual, but the faint hum interlaid with the words made the whole thing stand out to the toon's ears, something about it setting him on his guard.

The thought caused Boris to curl at first subconsciously, then with more awareness as he realized how he was moving. The motion pulled somewhat at the center of his chest, the uncomfortable weight feeling like he had a pulsating ball pressing against his sternum.

 _ **-a hand slipping inside, the acrid reek of ink, PAIN PAIN PAIN-**_

Boris felt his breathing catch, his arms shakily coming up to cross over his chest in a form of protection.

"What's wrong, Boris?" Joey's voice suddenly hummed, the wolf jolting as he realized the man had taken a seat almost in front of him, the footstool placed just a bit to the left. It wasn't quite looming, but something about it felt **too close** for comfort.

Boris's jaw twitched, nearly opening if it weren't for some base instinct to stay quiet, stay still, and watch Joey Drew like he'd suddenly lean **too close and reach inside-.**

"Boris…" The faint murmur of his name snapped the wolf from his daze, forcing him to look his creator in the eye. Though the off-look was still present in the studio head's gaze, Joey's expression was, quietly upset, almost, the sight imploring Boris to maintain eye contact.

And, taking that as the wolf's cooperation, Joey began to quietly murmur, Boris faintly noticing how the rest of the office seemed to fall away, his brain growing murky with his creator's words.

"You still look so tired, Boris. And, I understand. I know, it's been so hard for you. You just haven't been yourself since Bendy ran away."

He hadn't been. Even though there was a part of him that felt like it was a lot longer than he remembered, he could easily recall the first few days that Bendy had been gone, especially when it became clear that the devil wasn't going to simply turn up. With every morning he'd greeted Henry, the wolf had felt himself grow more and more anxious and despondent as the animator came in without Bendy, or any news as to where the small toon might be. His worry had made it harder and harder to get a full night of sleep, the days blending into mires of exhaustion as he tried to carry on with his usual routine.

It only got worse when he'd overheard one of the animators off-handedly mentioning that Bendy probably wouldn't last outside for long, because he'd never left the studio before. That added layer of stress had completely knocked out the wolf's appetite, a few days of sparse eating, poor sleep, and constant tension eventually cumulating in a fever. Sammy of course had noticed, and in between his efforts and the rest of the band's Boris was herded down to the Infirmary for the day. But while he had to stay, deadlines meant that everyone else still had to work. So, the wolf had been left alone. With the ink he needed, but drifting in and out of a half-feverish, half-ashamed and anxious delirium. He couldn't even sleep then, the emotional, mental, and physical mess leading to vivid, twisting nightmares.

- _Boris could just hear the thrumming rise and fall of the band, the low hum of sound reverberating through his pounding head as he fumbled his way up from what must have been another bad dream, though the details were already fading from his mind. But even still there was one crystal clear image, of Bendy with his back to the wolf, running running_ _ **running falling crying hurting melting**_ _, the last of which made Boris shakily twist around in his half-awake state, shadowy whimpers coming from him as he reached out for the small toon he knew had to be there, had to be in trouble, had to_ _ **help him…!**_

" _Shh, boy, stop movin'..." A familiar voice said from somewhere over his head, the wolf's hands gently grabbed and eased back to the bed. Or more rather, an attempt was made, as Boris still reached out, arms swinging wildly about for the toon he knew had to be here, he just saw him-!_

" _Ben-!"_

"… _He's not here, Boris." And, when the haltingly final declaration made the wolf toon stop, eyes peering up at the swimming features of Norman Polk with something close to incomprehension, the projectionist reiterated. "Bendy's not here."_

 _It was like having a wound rip open all over again. Boris knew he'd cried in front of Henry at some point during the second week since Bendy'd run off, but somehow the tears that sprang to his eyes at Norman's somber assertion, of reality coming back in, felt as fresh as if he'd just heard the news. Thankfully the old projectionist didn't wait long in drawing Boris up into a hug, even bundling a blanket over the wolf's shoulders as he gave gentle snippets of calming sound and let the crying run its course. It all seemed to blur for Boris, though after what felt like years his throat was worn, eyes itching as the fur on his face was stiff with drying tears._

 _As he sagged against Norman's front, the wolf let out a shuddering, wet sigh, the sound rewarded by a slightly-gnarled set of fingers carding through the somewhat sweat-dampened fur around his ears-_

-Boris jolted as a hand clumsily ran through the clammy fur on his head, pulling uncomfortably at his scalp. Joey's face loomed in the lower light, vaguely unsettling as he seemed to try to emulate something comforting. But there were still shadows in the dark eyes, and something about the motion further unnerving Boris and causing the strange daze that had gripped him to lift a hair.

"You've been trying so hard, and for such little reward. How many times did you help only to have to prove yourself again and again? Not to mention what you do to protect Bendy…"

He had, he tried. Certain band members themselves weren't replaced often, but the lyricists, sans a few, and some musicians, were often shuffled, and every time Boris felt he had to do something to alleviate the initial hesitance and wary looks. He never wanted anyone to be afraid of him. He wasn't like the stories, not at all…

But Bendy hadn't been, Bendy'd always tell him that he wasn't just some cartoon monster or bad wolf, and Boris tried his best to pay that back even as working at the music department pulled them apart.

It hadn't worked though, it had never worked, they'd been separated, things had gone so wrong anyway, nothing had worked, and everyone had suffered.

 _What did I do_ _ **wrong**_ _, what went_ _ **wrong**_ _, how can I_ _ **fix**_ _this, can I even_ _ **fix**_ _this?_

"I know how that feels, Boris." Joey continued, voice a lulling hum. "I know what it is to work for the best, not just for yourself, but for the people you care about. It's hard when it goes wrong, when no one, not even the world itself appreciates your hard efforts."

The studio head's hands were roughly carding through the fur on his head again, though instead of being put off, Boris only passively registered a heady, floating sensation permeating his brain, his arms sliding back to his sides. He didn't understand, he'd been achy and unpleasantly groggy a moment ago, but this was, almost nice. He nearly wanted to keep this strange sort of calm, sink into it and leave his worries and pains behind, but Joey was speaking again, so the wolf tried to focus enough to listen.

"But, Boris, I've found a way to make all of that go away. I can make everything much better than it used to be. No one will be hurting, no one will be afraid, or have to leave, ever again. You can be happy, Bendy can be happy, Alice, Henry, all the others, they can all be happy."

He could see it floating in his mind's eye, the things Joey talked about. He could see them running through the halls again, laughing, playing like they'd used to. Bendy's face was no longer worn, darkened, and haggard, instead grinning and lively. A glowing smile was on Alice's face, mirroring the halo above her head. Henry and Sammy, smaller but no less happier expressions and grins, absent of the weariness and exhaustion that came with trying to meet deadline after deadline. Wally, still wise-cracking as he always was, but looking less like he was trying to carry the happier mood on his own, fill in the heavy silence with his own humor and jokes. Norman was there as well, the projectionist less quiet and distracted and more the smiling older man that had told Boris all about the dancing halls and the late nights he'd spent listening to the jazz that played in them.

It was happy, so happy, something about it causing tears to quietly run down the wolf's face, Boris sniffling softly as he cried, though he didn't understand entirely why.

A gap, something missing, something big, what was he missing, why did all of this make him feel this way?

… _And why can't I think…?_

Unheeding of his creation's struggle, Joey plowed on, eyes keenly watching the canid toon's face.

"All you would need to do is help me, Boris, just with this one little thing. All you would need to do is to **find Bendy, and** **bring him to me**."

It was a subtle thing, like a poison slipped into the sweetest nectar, but the hum underlying Joey's voice shattered the dull calm that had entrapped Boris's mind, the sound yanking a recollection from the mire-.

 _-The Bendy statue across the room reforming, ink rushing over the sepia surface and turning it black. The wolf's own, warped frame carrying a small, squirming devil toon to the edge of the precipice as the words boomed in his mind,_ _ **BRING HIM TO ME, BORIS.**_

" _Boris, pal, wait, what're you doin'?!" The words were faint to his ears, but the speaker and tone unmistakable; Bendy, Bendy afraid, but why, why was he afraid, why was he asking Boris what he was doing, what was the wolf doing-?_

 _And then the image of the wide-eyed, terrified devil dropping into a pool of frothing ink came, the dark liquids rising in a contained flood as they fought to draw the small toon in, to_ _ **warp and change him-**_

"Boris, are you listening?" Joey asked, the low question causing the wolf to snap out of the strange reverie that had gripped him. What, where had that come from? What did it mean, was Bendy in trouble?

" **Boris**?" His creator said again, the hum snapping Boris away, making him refocus on the conversation at hand. Though now that the daze gripping him had dispersed, his brain scrambled around as it tried to both chase the strange recollection, and keep up with Joey. At the same time, the studio head quietly studied the wolf's face, before pressing forward.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Boris? I want you to **bring Bendy to me**. That should hardly be difficult."

"I-I…" Boris stammered, before a question simply popped into his head and was out in the air before he could really think on whether or not it was a good idea to ask. "Why, why do y'need Bendy?"

It did seem to throw Joey for a moment, the wolf's creator blinking before he had a counter.

"Bendy is, what I have planned is very big, Boris, and Bendy is a very important part of it. But, I cannot go and get him myself, which is where you come in. I know things haven't been great, now, but it'll just be a little while longer, Boris, just until Bendy accepts what he has to do. Then we'll all be happy. You want that, don't you, Boris? Don't you want everyone to be happy?" Joey asked, the questions feeling like they were meant to cut into the wolf's resolve, to make him give ground.

But the images were still in his mind, still pricking his conscience to life. Boris knew that he could not back down, that there was something wrong about what Joey wanted, somehow knowing that if he did, then something very, very bad would happen.

"…N-No."

The expression that flashed over Joey's shadowed face was one that nearly made Boris push himself into the back of the chair. It was a barely-held anger that he'd been on the receiving end of a good number of times, usually ending in pain of both the emotional and sometimes the physical variety.

But, as he stared, the flare of emotion passed, Joey drawing back and turning away from the wolf.

"Very disappointing, but perhaps you need some time to consider why this is so important. I know you'll come to the right decision, Boris. You've always been a very level-headed sort. A good, loyal dog. You just need some motivation."

Boris's brain whirled, completely caught off guard by what Joey was saying. But before he could work up the nerve to ask about it a sudden burst of cold air pressed at his back, the wolf's head jerkily turning to see a black spot forming on the wall behind the chair, growing bigger and bigger until it stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The more it grew, the more faint noises teased at Boris's ears. Humming voices, the tones ranging from speaking to screaming though the words could not be heard. Something about it instinctively turned the wolf cold, he knew without a doubt that it wasn't good, that he didn't want to go through, but it was eating at the chair, he'd be pulled in-!

But Joey's hands clamped on his head, turning Boris's view around to the calm, even smile his creator displayed, though his eyes were empty, almost lifeless. Before Boris could so much as protest, the man spoke something with a soft but altogether too placid tone.

"Don't worry, Boris. In fact, if all goes well, you won't be worrying about anything."

The words were so calm, yet they broke through the last barrier on Boris's memories, easily harkening back to a time of straps and tools, of 'I will not allow you to die', and _**why did Joey sound so calm-?!**_

But, even as the wolf's mind turned to panic, the studio head's hands briefly clasped on Boris's head, raising it up to just about where the angle was uncomfortable. Still, the man's fingers were moving in their fumbling way, a thumb rubbing against Boris's jaw in a clumsy gesture of affection. For an instant, the wolf felt some of the tension drain, right before Joey's hands moved to his shoulders and shoved.

The push sent Boris plunging through the portal, something snapping in his chest as a terrified scream escaped from his vocal chords. As he fell, his eyes just caught sight of Joey's tall frame silhouetted in the light above. The man's impassive shadow was the last thing he saw as the portal was swept out of sight, and the wolf's frame crashed into what felt like icy-cold water.

Though, unlike water, Boris was not allowed to rise to the surface. Instead, he _was_ _ **tossed and pulled about within, hearing a thousand voices crying out, feeling hands**_ _ **grab and sink into his fur-.**_

 _-ink everywhere, pipes breaking, screaming, screaming_ _ **, the dark floods rushing**_ _-_

 _-never liked being down in the lower levels, knew it would kill me,_ _ **IT'LL KEEP ME FOREVER**_ _-_

 _-pulling up from the cold, but it never leaves, it never leaves and it takes parts of you,_ _ **keeps you within**_ _-_

 _-faces, a thousand faces all indistinct, whirling in the dark and pressed to the boundary, under the planks that made up the walls, floors, and ceiling, waiting to be_ _ **set free**_ _-_

 _ **-I CAN'T GET OU-**_

 _ **-tumbling screaming screaming around and in everyone everything fighting no light no air-**_

 _ **-**_ _was_ _ **A MONSTER**_ _where's the rest of me_ _ **where's me-**_

 _ **-**_ _never pain, just_ _ **cold,**_ _so_ _ **cold-**_

 _ **-**_ _I can hear them_ _ **screaming,**_ _they're always_ _ **screaming-**_

 _ **-please I'll do anything just LET ME OUT-**_

 _ **-and**_ _he was_ pulled up, a strong hand closed around Boris's as he was lifted away from the murk. If the wolf did not feel so painfully weak, chilled to the point of immobility, he would have tried to help, either by clawing himself up the rest of the way or trying to grab onto his rescuer. But for the moment, all he could do was be distantly grateful and fearful that he would fall back down, the adrenaline from the latter the only thing keeping him from dropping into the exhaustion threatening to drag him under. Still, Boris's efforts to stay conscious were hampered by a light-headed feeling soaking through his brain, making everything seem like it was moving almost too fast around him.

His fight to stay awake only lasted until he'd been extricated entirely, his rescuer moving to lift him in a bridal carry before moving along above the swirling mass under them. Boris barely registered the air growing warmer, the humming and chittering falling away into something soft and quiet before it all winked away into a relieving, silent black.

* * *

Waking came in stages, the quiet creak of the hammock under him the first thing Bendy registered as he came to. Though, immediately after he recognized the noise, the first thought on his mind was the hammock in the safehouse, the memory a short leap from the one that had just been formed, where Boris-.

Though a sob remained locked in his throat, Bendy could still feel his eyes start to burn, ink liquifying on his brow as his mind spiraled, remembering the sound the wolf had made, the coughing, the fact that Boris had backed down so easily, like he'd known, _pal, why didn't you tell me_ …?

A small sniffle rang out in the room, Bendy briefly lost in his own misery before the minute sounds of something moving around came from his left, his only warning before something nudged the hammock under him into a somewhat stronger rock. The sudden jolt made the little devil start, eyes flying open and immediately riveting on a far-too-familiar visage to his left, the toon in question just about to lean back before he'd caught sight of Bendy staring at him.

He looked so much like Boris that for a moment the devil nearly got his hopes up, before little things about the wolf in front of him became apparent and dashed the brief wish that perhaps, somehow, something had gone right for once and Boris had ended up okay.

For starters, this toon was too broad-shouldered to be the wolf that Bendy was familiar with, the inky frame more thickset and stockier than Boris's lankier, long-limbed stature. There was also the fact that the other wolf was just, boxier overall, the black nose a squarish shape rather than a rounded circle. Catching sight of a glimmer of something metallic at the toon's left arm, Bendy briefly glanced down to see a familiar prosthetic attached to the wolf rather than a proper hand. Right, the Bendy animatronic had been missing an arm, guess that mystery was solved…

Though, as the little devil jerked back to look this new toon in the eye, he couldn't help but feel even more lost. Where on earth was he now? And where was-?

The instant Bendy remembered the tiny toon that had been accompanying him and Boris, his eyes blew wide, head swiveling around as he tried to get some hint of where Buddy might be. However, a brief wave from the wolf got the devil's attention, just in time for him to see the stockier toon point in the direction of the door.

"I-Is he-?" Bendy croaked, the stuttering question answered with a quick nod. The flagging energy fell away to nothing, the little devil almost not noticing when the wolf suddenly waved his hand again. "Huh?"

Though the light grunt was completely lacking in everything from verve to intelligence, the other toon still sought to push forward, holding out his prosthetic hand with the palm up. Looking from the hand to the other wolf's expectant face, Bendy internally floundered before an idea occurred, his hand hesitatingly easing out to rest on the metallic hand.

He nearly jumped when the wolf carefully flipped his hand over, though when the longer finger started to trace a few shapes in the center of the little devil's palm Bendy found his brief flicker of fear replaced with confusion.

In what seemed like a few seconds, the wolf had finished whatever he was trying to do, looking at Bendy like he was expecting some sort of a response. Though, upon seeing a complete lack of comprehension in the little devil's eyes, the wolf gave a gusty sigh before pointing down at the small, gloved hand still resting atop the metal prosthetic, and gave the little routine another go. This time, Bendy was able to parse out the lines traced into his palm, putting together the spelled-out message as T, O, and M.

"Tom…?" The little devil wheezed, the wolf giving another nod before pointing to himself. Comprehension broke like a rising dawn, Bendy giving a quiet 'oh' along with a nod of his own to show that he'd understood. Looks like his new friend had a name after all, Tom. Though it did sound oddly familiar, Bendy could hardly bring himself to be too concerned given that it wasn't as though the name 'Tom' was an uncommon thing.

Still, that left the pair of them standing a little awkwardly, more or less staring at each other as they waited for something to push the conversation onward. Bendy briefly contemplated introducing himself, though he figured that it'd be redundant at this point. Well, maybe redundant. Perhaps he ought to check…

"Guessin'…y'know who I am, already?"

Another nod, and though Bendy could say without a doubt that he was thoroughly exhausted he was passively glad to see that a faint sense of embarrassment did not fail to materialize.

"Alright then…" The little devil hummed, casting around before his eyes lit on something stuck to the wall near his head. At first, the scribblings and lines did not make much sense, before he internally stepped back and tried to puzzle it out. From a more broad vantage point he could see how the lines meshed, how it all came together in the image of some kind of a machine, maybe a generator?

There was another paper on his other side, one with the plans to what was more readily obvious as some sort of pump. Maybe to drain ink? The place might very well need it.

But it was the plans tacked to the opposite wall that got Bendy's attention, and made something curdle in his stomach. The paper in question was so big it took up a good chunk of the wall, and while he wasn't sure if this was a copy or something else, Bendy could easily pick out the familiar nozzle, the body shape covered with pipes and hoses, the completed image more than merely recognizable as the Ink Machine.

The only difference was that on this version of the plans, there were little bits and pieces here and there that were marked. Around the nozzle, the parts where the tank connected to the rest, some bits on the side, were all circled.

A faint shifting yanked Bendy's attention back to Tom, the wolf shuffling quietly about as he moved in his chair. The other toon's gaze roved for a moment before refocusing on the wide-eyed stare the little devil was beaming up at him.

"What's…what's that?" Bendy asked as he pointed up at the Machine plans, both trying to play dumb and figure out why on earth this toon would have them in his room of all places. Tom appeared to think for a moment before proffering a hand again, Bendy easily picking up on the cue this time and letting the wolf spell out M-A-C-H-I-N-E in his palm.

"The, that's the Ink Machine, right?"

A nod, Tom's expression looking more or less calm at the assertion.

"What're all those?" Bendy asked, the question clearly not getting across the meaning he wanted given that Tom's immediate response was to look more or less befuddled, before giving Bendy his hand back and moving over to the plans.

"U-Uhm, the thing on the…" The devil started, picking up on what the wolf was doing as he raised a hand to point the picture, letting Bendy guide him to the spot he was talking about. "The nozzle, what's circled there?"

Comprehension dawning, Tom briefly glanced to the plans before looking back to Bendy, his hands moving in a motion like he was breaking something apart.

"You, you wanna break the Machine?"

Another nod, Tom moving easily back to his chair like he'd just announced that he was going out for a burger. Catching Bendy gaping at him, the wolf's impassive expression morphed into a look that was easily recognizable as a somewhat irritated 'what'.

"I, I just…why? Why have all'a this? You can just go an' break the one down the other hall, off from th' elevator, looked like it was on its last legs anyway…"

From the expression Tom was making, that was not common knowledge. The wolf gave the matter about three seconds of stunned silence before he nearly surged forward, gesturing for more information.

Bendy, for his part, made the entirely rational decision to do his best to flop away from the intensely-focused wolf. Seeming to realize that he was not helping the little devil feel any more comfortable, Tom backed off, but still tried to gesture for Bendy to elaborate.

"U-Uh, it w's when…we fell, wh-when she dropped the elevator, we just kinda..ran that way. The door was, was open, we just went on…" The little devil stammered his way through the story, tail weakly coiling close to his frame as he kept watch on the hungrily attentive expression Tom was wearing as he soaked in every word. "That, we found Buddy down that way…"

Seeing the familiar canid hallmarks of confusion, in the form of a somewhat tilted head and quirked ears, Bendy found his retelling stuttering to a halt as he tried to figure out where he might not have been clear. When Tom reached out again, the devil received something of a hint, in the form of the letters 'W', 'H', and 'O'.

"Oh, the lil' guy, that's Buddy." Bendy explained, Tom giving a soundless 'ah' as comprehension dawned. "A-Anyway, we found 'im, an' hid out ferra bit b'fore we tried t'keep goin'."

That had been about when Boris had started getting sick, Bendy realized, the thought making him pause for a good few moments before he'd noticed that he'd left Tom hanging.

"Uh, an', well, we got held up a lil' bit here an' there, but we kept goin' inta, i-inta a shaft, an' we heard…her."

Thankfully, 'her' didn't seem to need much explanation, as Tom's expression morphed into one of immediate disgust and anger.

"She, sh-she tricked us." It was the long and short of it, but the thought of what exactly the angel had promised, and what had been there to greet them when they went into the haunted house, nearly made something ache in Bendy's chest.

He desperately hoped that 'Alice' had been wholly tricking him, because if she hadn't been then he'd lost more than one friend in this mad venture.

 _ **You got the both of them hurt**_. The thought weighed heavily on Bendy's mind, and though there was some part of him that could argue schematics, it felt paltry in the face of what had happened.

The sudden rocking of the hammock jolted Bendy out of his thoughts, his head zipping to look in Tom's direction as the wolf lowered his hand back to his side. It took the little devil a few moments to catch up to what had happened, but a faint harkening back to something in another safehouse, from what seemed like so long ago now, made him give a wet smile as a driblet of ink slid down from his brow.

"…Thanks."

Though it was obvious he couldn't answer, Tom gave a small, closed-mouth grin in return, reaching out again to gently poke at the hammock and keep it rocking.

An abrupt creak of the door opening shattered the moment, making Bendy jump and causing Tom's eyes to zip to look behind him as someone eased their way in. But the newcomer was only Allison, the angel balancing between Buddy in one arm and a hot bowl of bacon soup in her hand. Immediately, Tom got up to help her, leaving Bendy nestled in the hammock, staring for a moment before he flipped himself onto his side and pretended to be asleep.

"Thanks Tom." Allison said softly, letting the wolf take the soup as she gently eased Buddy down onto the chair that had just been abandoned. The tiny toon didn't seem too wound up, but he still glanced from the bowl of soup to the prone devil, something about the sight making his expression sink and pulling him from his perch to stand next to the hammock. Brow furrowed, worry overwrote the earlier calm as Buddy tried to reach to pull himself up. However, the minute devil being the shortest his mitten gloves came just shy of his goal, leaving him pawing uselessly at the fabric.

But, once he'd set the soup down, Tom quickly came to Buddy's rescue, carefully picking up and placing him in the hammock next to Bendy. As soon as he was set down, Buddy crawled over to press his tiny hands to the devil's arm, faint, involuntary shakes reverberating down his arms as they tried to jostle Bendy awake.

And, given that between Buddy's efforts and the fact that he knew Tom at least was likely staring, the little devil finally let his head roll back to consider the two. For Buddy, even though he knew the minute devil could not see it, Bendy offered a small smile and quiet murmur of 'hey, Bud', reaching carefully up and resting a hand on the tiny toon's bandaged head. Catching Tom's eye, and the bowl of soup that the wolf had grabbed in the interim, Bendy let the shadow of a grin fall, feeling awful for what he was going to say next but…honestly, the image was too similar to another place, another time, and another wolf.

"Thanks, but, 'm not that hungry right now. Y-Y'can set it down somewhere, I'll eat inna bit."

Or never, but Tom didn't have to know that. Besides, the wolf was perfectly content to move away, placing the soup down. As he did, Buddy crawled around, Bendy easily able to feel the shakes rattling through the tiny toon as he paused in front of him.

"Aw, Bud, c'mere, 's okay, I'll be fine."

 _I'll always be fine._ The thought was there but given what had happened down on Level 14, Bendy didn't want to put voice to it. Either way, Buddy took it as clear invitation to huddle in close, practically tucking himself into the front of Bendy's coat as he buried his face into the larger devil's chest. The shakes juddered down to nothing as Bendy gently ran a hand up and down the tiny toon's back, Buddy's breathing evening into a slow, soft pattern with Bendy following him into slumber a moment later.

Neither noticed that Tom and Allison had quietly slipped out the door, the wolf pausing to listen and be sure their new charges were asleep while the angel carried on to the main area, trying not to get lost in her thoughts.

Besides, she had something to do herself, and only a small window of time to do it in. While she never liked to venture beyond the safehouse, the outside only too much of a reminder as to what had happened and what she had lost, the angel knew that she had to anyway. Usually for her and Tom's needs, though this time it would be hopefully the last.

She just hoped that nothing had happened while they'd been preoccupied…

Allison's hands were a barely restrained motion as she arranged her little survival pack, making sure the wrappings that made up the hilt of her sword were on tight. Even after thirty years, every venture outside made her nervous like never before. Especially now, after Bendy's return had stirred up all of the local horrors that had been dying down in the last few years, though Allison was starting to think that had been less dying down and more of a hibernation.

The return of the Ink had been a particular shock, though she'd been more than grateful that it had not tried to come their way. There was no way one could hope to take it down, it being able to take just as much punishment as it could give. Not to mention that it was death to get too close.-

 _Not daring to speak, Allison raced down the staircase, the heavier pounding of footsteps hinting that Tom was right behind her. And under that was a low rushing, a pulsating hum that set her teeth on edge as she tried to scramble out of range. They'd just been going through an office for supplies, but even the simplest of tasks had the tendency to turn into a fight for your life down here._

 _Though a part of her mind was focused on where to go, where to hide, even as she scrambled for cover in some discarded instruments, undercurrent of gibbering and whimpering trailed in the backdrop of the angel's mind, the part of her that still thought all of this was insane, that she_ _ **should have been dead ages ago, why did she survive when barely anyone else did-?**_

 _ **She could feel it, the Ink had to be somewhere above them, it would hear them, they were going to die…**_

 _Allison barely suppressed a gasp as Tom abruptly twisted around, the wolf toon wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a somewhat lopsided hug. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out him staring fixedly at the ceiling, almost as though he were daring the Ink to come near._

 _Though there was a faint flicker of recrimination at the sight, that the wolf which had followed in her footsteps like a duckling should have to be strong when she was older and should be strong for him, Allison felt something in her unfurl at the sight. It brought a small bit of courage back to her, a hand coming up to rest on a furry arm. Tom's ears twitched, his eyes briefly darting down to look at her face though his nose remained pointed slightly upward. Together they sat in silence, staring up as the dark trails swept over the ceiling, heading from right to left as their source moved._

 _And faded, the dark trails vanishing as the source of the Ink moved far enough away. Letting out a breath that she'd only just become aware that she'd been holding, Allison let the tension ease from her frame in stages. Next to her, Tom relaxed as well though he didn't loosen up just yet in his hug. He didn't seem to realize that he was still hugging her, at least until she reached up and gently carded through the fur on his head. Though the wolf didn't outright jump, his ears flicked upright like he was listening for some hint as to where this strange assault was coming from before his head turned in her direction. Immediately upon making eye contact with Allison Tom's expression warmed, frame relaxing like that of a child who had just seen a beloved family member._

 _Though the angel did not dare speak, she did give the wolf one final affectionate hair-tousle, before jerking her head in the direction of the door at the end of the hall, and their home. Quickly picking up on her meaning, Tom gave a nod, easing himself up with the utmost care before reaching down with his only hand to help her up.-_

-Much like always, the effect of each other's company was very much the same. Allison's frenetic motions eased, as Tom's guard lowered with a quietly happy smile and slight tail wag.

Still, she was at the door, and there were things to be done, so the brief reprise of peace broke apart as the angel pulled away, giving one last, reassuring grin to Tom as she went through.

The wolf, for his part, managed to keep his own, lighter expression up until the metal slab swung shut again, to which a more dour, quietly worried look slid into place. He knew change was coming, that much was certain…but he wasn't sure if it would end well. There'd already been one too many deviations from his own expectations, and as such, he didn't want to form new ones. Though it didn't seem like he'd have much choice in how things were going to go. Just had to hang on, and hope it was strong enough that he wouldn't fall off.

Fighting back a wave of frustration at the thought, as he couldn't act on a problem that hadn't arrived yet, Tom turned back in the direction of his room, keeping his footsteps light as he slid inside and hurried to the chair to keep watch.

* * *

Boris could feel his limbs swaying as he was carried, his body partially curled up in someone's arms as they walked down what sounded like a hallway. His head felt floaty, everything but his own frame seeming distant and far-away. But, the longer the moment went, the more solid everything felt, the more he could feel the arms of the person holding him, the feeling of a gentle warmth radiating from a body underneath a cotton shirt, the cloth holding a scent mixed with soap, oil, paper, ink…a vaguely familiar blend that teased at something in his memory, if his brain were a little more than a quiet mush he could recall-

 _-the office strangely spacious, the wolf's suspicion that no one really spent time in here only confirmed at the next words._

 _"C'mon kid, we'll find someplace for you to practice."-_

 _-wincing as his fingers slipped, the note ringing discordant in the halting, unsure performance. Immediately Boris screeched to a stop, ears pressing back as he peered at the watching brown eyes, looking for some hint of disapproval, of punishment, perhaps a complete tirade ending with the man throwing him out, declaring the lesson a waste of time._

 _"Don't look at me like that. This is your first lesson, you're gonna sound awful anyway. Just play."-_

 _-his chest twisting, tears pouring down his cheeks as he tried to both stem the terrified, upset, and altogether suffocating emotions roaring through both his head and insides. The object of his current meltdown, a broken and poorly remolded clarinet, sat in his hands as he held them up in a meager mockery of an offering. Maybe the man would just take it, and not be too harsh about throwing the wolf out of his office. Though Boris's mind was conjuring worse, of yelling, screaming, a hand yanking on his ear, telling him to_ _ **GET OUT, GET OUT YOU CLUMSY MUTT, YOU STUPID BRAT, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT-.**_

 _"How did this happen?" It wasn't yelling, but calm could easily turn to yelling so Boris was hardly eased._

 _"I, I fe-hell an', an' broke i-it-."_

 _"Wait, you fell on it hard enough to break it? Are you alright?"_

 _"Y-Yeah-." The wolf started, right before the question actually registered and he turned a completely shocked look up at the man, the quietly attentive expression quirking in a somewhat amused grin as he took in the complete shift in Boris's demeanor._

 _"Kid, at the end of the day, I don't care if the clarinet's busted. Any instrument is replaceable, anybody in the band really isn't."-_

 _-But the strong, liquor-saturated scent wasn't the worst, it was the fact that the voice was clipped, the eyes carefully avoiding his own. It was so unlike what he was used to that the wolf felt his insides twist, falling back into old fears and patterns at the off-putting behavior. But, he was here to help, he promised the rest of the band he'd at least try, so Boris quietly stowed the feelings, and tried to plow onward._

 _"I-I'm sorry, I, I just…wanna help you, you're…you don' seem too good, a-an' they said I could help, but I don' know what t'do but 'm tryin' an', an'…" His eyes were misting, the wolf's voice turning quivery at both the situation and his own inability, his lack of understanding of what was happening only fueling the curdling in his chest and making it grow and froth until it was starting to trickle from under his eyelids. And, worst still, he couldn't make it stop._

 _This was going all wrong, he was supposed to be helping, but all he could do was cry like a_ _ **useless brat, a coward, he wasn't helping at all…**_

 _"Kid, look, I-."_

 _The speech stirred something in Boris, the wolf jumping before outright launching himself into a hug that wrapped around the man's shoulders. The motion pulled a few short sobs, the toon desperately trying to hold them back before he was forced to give up. But, as he was hurtling towards loosing control, a familiar, long-fingered pair of hands came up to return the hug, one wrapping itself around his shoulders as the other carded messily through the fur on his head._

 _"Shh, shh, Boris…'salright, you're alright, 'm sorry kid, you didn't do anything wrong…" The voice, though raspy and rough still sounded familiar enough that it crumbled the wolf toon's last defenses. Despite a part of him howling about how_ _ **cowardly**_ _he was being, how he was letting the band down because he said he would help and_ _ **crying was not helping**_ _, Boris still allowed himself to settle more securely into the hug, wrapping his own arms around his mentor's frame, hoping to give some of that back._

 _He knew he was still crying, he could feel the various fluids leaking from his face, but the wolf continued to cling to the man, letting the moment carry for as long as he could.-_

It was like a light flicked on in his head. Feeling as though his body was trying to move through jello, the wolf started to squirm, pulling away from his rescuer to get a better look at the person. His eyes felt like they were being held together with glue, and when Boris finally managed to get them open a flash of pain zinged through his left, forcing him to keep it closed as he tried to see with just his right.

It didn't look like he'd left the studio, the walls around them still a dingy brown and stained with ink here and there. There was, however, once difference in that there were small orbs of light floating about, sparingly illuminating the corridor. However, the person carrying him was standing so that their face was in shadow.

The sight should have made him more nervous, but for the wolf fear was a vague and faraway thing, and not just because he still felt so weak. It was because…

…He knew who this was.

If Boris had more energy, he might've tried to squirm around to hug the man, his mentor, but for the moment all his body was able to allow was the ability to stare up at Sammy, eyes tracing over the music director's features and finding everything a perfect match for what he had known. Though the upper half of the man's face was smeared with ink, the dark eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and angular features were as he remembered them, like it had only been a day ago that they'd sat down for a music session that neither had thought special, said goodnight to each other without any second thought that it might be the last time.

"Hey kid." The voice was a little echoey, which did ring as odd to the wolf's ears, but it was the same. Same tenor, even the same moniker.

Though the name was on the tip of Boris's tongue, it suffocated under the weight of emotion that left a solid mass in his throat, and pulled tears from his eyes. Despite the fact that the musician himself did not start to cry, Boris could see the frown in the ink-stained face, right before Sammy drew him up and held the wolf close in a hug.

The motion, the careful safety, all of it finally broke down Boris's crumbling walls. Quiet tears and hitched breaths turned to gusty, heaving sobs, the lanky toon clutching at what he could of Sammy's arms. Over his head, the wolf could hear the musician quietly murmuring. Semi-awkward things, that it was alright, he was here, he was _safe, I've got you, it's…it's alright, Boris, I've got you…_

The tone almost made it sound like an apology, though for the moment Boris hardly wanted any of that. Bendy'd apologized, for things that weren't his fault, some things that might've been, but these felt the same way. Hard, painful, like pulling something from someone rather than having it offered of their own free will. Like the apology was something they would say if they just wanted everything to stop.

But then again, Sammy had been dealing with the hell the studio became long before Boris had, or at least could consciously remember. It couldn't have been more than a day for him and Bendy, but for Sammy it was probably a lot longer.

Though his throat was too tight, everything above his neck a sobbing, liquid mess, the wolf forced more energy into his upper body, squirming around in Sammy's arms until he had wrapped his own around the musician's torso in a rough approximation of a hug. The motion, along with the change, briefly made the murmured comfort cease, Sammy seemingly taken off-guard.

But then it started up again, quiet shushing interlaid with faint snatches of humming. Boris vaguely recognized the melodies as things Sammy would use to teach him to play, back when he'd been still learning. The music lulled the wolf into a gentle, painless grey, far from the rushing noise and cacophony of the black, and not taking him away from the physical comfort he had found. It didn't feel quite like he was sleeping, but his thoughts definitely turned back to their previously mushy state for a bit as he settled down. Even still, he did not let go of Sammy, and the musician's arms did not loosen in their effort to hold onto him.

* * *

Bendy drifted in and out, mostly due to things such as the sound of the door creaking or the hammock lightly rocking as Tom gently nudged it. He hardly had much of an inclination to move, apart from when Buddy shifted around in his sleep. A few times it seemed like the tiny toon might've been on the cusp of a nightmare, but Bendy did his best to head off the bad dreams when they rolled through.

His own sleep was mired and fraught with half-images, of Boris's frame twisting and melting as the wolf's eyes stared accusingly at Bendy, of the monstrous, chimera version of the lanky toon as the features dribbled off and the black ink turned red, revealing the battered form of Henry before the animator was simply swallowed by the floods. Alice's face staring down at him, grim and hateful as half of her scowl deformed into the empty socket and malformed smirk that had been part of her warped double's ensemble.

The worst though was when _, from out of the black floods of ink arose a familiar, tall figure leaning on a cane, face pulled in a leering, empty grin that was all too reminiscent of the devil's own portraits lining the studio halls. Looming over the small toon, Joey Drew's voice hummed lowly that_ _ **you should never have left, Bendy, you were always meant to be here, with me**_ _, and as he was speaking the ink that was pooling around them rose like snakes, wrapping around Bendy and dragging him down-._

It was this that had the little devil waking up in a cold sweat, thankfully not jostling the hammock and rousing Buddy along with him as he did. Still, he couldn't keep himself from shaking, a quiet collection of sobs gusting from behind a clenched set of teeth. For a moment, the little devil lamented the state of the pillow under his head, as this could only be one of their rescuer's beds, probably Tom's if he was to go out on a limb, but he could only muster up the energy for that for so long. His arms tightened almost of their own accord, wrapping Buddy's still-slumbering body in a somewhat desperate hug.

Boris may have been gone, but Bendy still had some measure of responsibility, one that he wasn't sure that he had any business to. He was a magnet for trouble down here, with every kind of horror gunning for him and people he cared about getting caught in the crossfire. Buddy definitely deserved better than that, maybe he could…make sure the little guy could stay with Tom and the angel. They seemed like good people. Then…maybe he could just phase himself out. Disappear. Let the things that groaned about being set free chase him and leave everyone here alone.

 _You're not going to get away from them. Not forever_. A voice went in the little devil's brain, with a tone to it that reminded him of Boris. _Don't do anything crazy._

But did he really have the right to be safe when so many were suffering in his name? Pleading for him to find a way to save them? When lunatics and monsters were hunting for his ink?

The sound of the door creaking open didn't get Bendy's attention at first. He figured it was just Tom, maybe the angel come in to check on them. But, as he was about to pretend to be asleep, he caught a noise that was distinctly off from the lighter and heavier footfalls of the angel and the wolf. A sort of rhythmic splattering and wet dragging, the sound of something pulling itself into the room as though half of its body didn't work right.

And, though it had been a while since he'd heard the like, the sound rang just a little too familiar for Bendy to ignore. Trying to be as quiet as possible, the little devil flipped his head to look behind him, and nearly sprang upright in a rush as he recognized the decently-sized, humanoid inky shape sitting in front of the door. Though the light was at the thing's back, there was enough of a contrast that Bendy could pick out an equally recognizable white spot on its front.

The monochrome ink monster had finally caught up to him. And this time, there was nowhere to run. On an impulse, Bendy quietly threw a part of the blanket over Buddy, hiding the tiny toon from view as he tried to sit up as silently as he could. It still hadn't moved, but Bendy knew from experience that the thing's hearing was nothing to sneeze at.

In fact, the slight rustle of the blankets moving about was getting its attention, causing the monster to rock for a moment before reeling upright, standing on indistinct 'feet' as it grabbed onto the doorframe in what might've been both an effort to stay up, and to keep Bendy from bolting. Not that the little devil had much energy to anyway, but he could see the reasoning.

Briefly shooting a glance back at the still-sleeping Buddy, Bendy took in a deep breath, and quietly made his decision. Hopefully the monster would just be happy with him, wouldn't try to search the room. Buddy would get out of it fine, at least for a little while. It was all he could do anymore.

"Alright...c'mon." Bendy found himself saying. At another point in time, he might have been surprised by his own daring, though it seemed like an age had passed between then and now. Now, he just wanted things to stop. He wanted everything to stop.

"You wanted to get me? Whelp, you did it, I'm got."

Still nothing, though if Bendy were being charitable, he would have said that the atmosphere in the room had grown almost tensely silent, as if holding its breath waiting on his words. Alright, fine. He had plenty to say.

"Yeah, you got me. I'm done." Bendy couldn't help the rueful chuckle that slid out immediately after that statement, his mouth only going further and further off the rails. And strangely, he didn't care, even kept going though a part of him couldn't help but flash back to a certain scene in a _vent, the wide eyes of Boris peering at him through the dark..._ "Yeah, you're hearin' right. I. Give. Up. I've had it, I'm done, really I could keep goin' on but-."

The pause he took was involuntary, but for the life of him the little devil couldn't tell if what came out of his mouth in the interim was a strangled cough, a hollow choke of laughter, or a partially smothered sob. It honestly could have been all three. Still, he couldn't stop talking.

"R-Really, think I've done enough here. Enough's happened. I get it, leaving was a mistake. Eh-Everything was a mistake." He was definitely crying again, he could feel the ink running down his face as he gripped at the edge of the hammock. Hadn't he done that enough lately? Still, with every failure playing on the backs of his eyelids, every nightmare, every suffering soul that **was here because of him** , he couldn't stop. "Everythin's gone so wrong and I can't, even help. Nothin' I do helps. I come back, whoop, too late, everyone's either gone or lookin' pretty dead, I try to leave, I almost become a part of the scenery, I try to just, leave with…my, my pal…"

Bendy's voice warbled heavily on the last word, black drips framing his face and sliding around his eyes. In the lull, the monster took a heavy, glooping step forward, but jolted as the little devil began to speak again, voice turning high-pitched with hysteria.

"And, funny thing, that fell through too! Y'know, pretty sure I even left Boris in a worse spot than I found him in, didn't think I could get much worse than walking out, but hey, I'm just full of surprises apparently! Like somehow bein' some kind of cult magnet! An' havin' people makin' sacrifices and doing really horrible things to 'appease' me, turnin' folks into monsters, and turnin' my home into a hellhole!" Though he ended up cutting down his volume so as not to wake Buddy, Bendy ended up pressing the heels of his hands into his head, ink running in near-constant rivulets down his face. "So, y-y'know what, you'd probably be doing people a favor, really. So, just, let's get this over with. You got me. Y'caught yourself a devil. 'R demon. Whatever."

The little devil quietly let his hands fall from his head, instead wrapping them loosely around his own frame. The ink continued to drip and trickle unabated, though he made no move to try to wipe it away. Still, the monster stayed quiet, standing in front of the hammock.

"Just…do what you gotta do. Get it over with. Hey, with my luck, I'll mess that up too."

A shaky, breathy sigh.

"Just make it stop, please."

It came out remarkably steady given that Bendy was sure that half of the ink from the top of his head was now running down his face. He didn't feel stable, either. Instead it felt like the world was swirling under his feet, sucking him down into a black, dismal whirlpool.

What was the point of trying anymore really, if all he seemed to be able to do was throw a massive monkey wrench into everything good?

It seemed like a perfect justification, and Bendy didn't move from where he sat as he waited for the thing to finally grab him.

And waited, the silence dragging on for so long that the little devil looked up in exhausted confusion.

The monochrome monster was still there. Just, quietly standing there with a hand on the desk and a finger in the bowl of soup that had been left to cool. Did it, not know where he was? How did it not figure that out, especially considering that Bendy had pretty much lit up an auditory bonfire with his little soliloquy a moment ago?!

But then the thing reeled forward, the little devil tensing again as it brought its head to right in front of him, drops of ink splattering on the tiny toon's knees. And it just stayed that way for a moment before its other, overlarge hand came up and began scrubbing at its head. Almost like…

A flash of memory went through Bendy's mind, of being caught under the monster's arm, biting through and sinking his teeth into something, something much tougher than ink.

The monster immediately stopped moving as Bendy's lean forward made the hammock creak, even bringing its head closer so that the little devil could have an easier time reaching. Bendy's fingers trembled as they tried to paw through the thick ink, eventually resorting to just scrubbing at the head and the face underneath it, with an already black-stained coat sleeve as the suspicion gnawing at the back of his mind grew tenfold.

It was difficult, given that no matter how much the little devil tried to clear it the ink kept coming from somewhere on the figure's body. But, by using one sleeve as a buffer and continuing to clean with his other hand, Bendy was able to clear a patch of greyish-toned skin, helped along by the monster lowering itself to a kneel so gravity could help the process along.

It took him a moment to realize what exactly he'd uncovered, but with the familiar landmark of a closed, human eye Bendy realized that yes, he was indeed looking at a person, and the more he looked, the more something like familiarity began to blossom in the little devil's mind.

Because while it was the wrong skin tone, and while the eye was closed, he could easily imagine it a pale-ish, more healthy peach, and the shape of the eyes immediately made Bendy think that if they opened, he might see that they were blue-.

But the ink was getting in the way again, the dark rivulets running over the pale grey growing thick enough that Bendy automatically tried to clear them, triggering a wince that flashed across the afflicted face, the eye briefly blinking open to reveal all-encompassing, wet black before they shut again. But the dark, liquid ribbons on the skin were not going away, Bendy about to wipe at them again before a realization crashed in on his mind.

They weren't just simply rivulets of ink, they were tears in the skin; the ink was coming from underneath. The thought of which made Bendy's stomach flip-flop threateningly though he knew that there was nothing for it to bring up.

What made it all the worse was, he could guess as to who this was. The name was there, right on the tip of his tongue, but for the life of him Bendy couldn't make it leave his throat. Couldn't let it be said, because then that'd mean that he'd been running from…

"H-Henry?"

And, lo and behold, the man turned monster nodded, the muscles in the exposed face screwing up in a painful-looking grimacing shadow of a grin. The blackened eye opened again, ink leaking from it like tears.

Before he could really think on what he was doing, Bendy pushed himself off the hammock, rocking it and dropping the little devil right onto Henry's upper body. The impact knocked the man back onto his rear, a pained, watery grunt ringing out even as an overlarge arm came up to properly stabilize the toon's impromptu landing. Though the instant Bendy noticed that his impulsive action had caused the animator actual pain, he immediately tried to pull away.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" But despite the apparent hurt, Henry did not loosen his grip, keeping Bendy pressed to his front as he tried to resettle. The ink had recovered the man's face, leaving his exact emotions a mystery, but the little devil could read into the quiet shuddering that had taken hold of the slime-covered shoulders, a faint, hitching sound gurgling from where his face was under the ink.

It really hit home for Bendy as to what had been happening. Henry had been trying to find him. This whole time, and even with monsters and nightmares about, Henry had been looking for him. **And he had done nothing but…**

"I, I'm sorry, H-Henry," Bendy warbled through hiccups and sobs alike, the words simply tumbling off his tongue with reckless abandon. "I'm s-s-sorry fer bitin' you, an' yellin' all'a that, an' runnin'-."

Letting out a noise that honestly could only be categorized as a strange hybrid between a sob and a somewhat hysterical snort of laughter, the little devil's mouth pulled into a mirthless grin as a new slight came to mind.

"I e-even hit ya wi' a, with a plunger!"

The thought of which would almost be completely hilarious if the circumstances weren't so dire. Maybe if he hadn't hit Henry, the man might've been able to explain, saved them all a lot of pain and grief. They could've skipped that nightmare in the elevator, skipped the whole latter half of the ordeal with 'Alice', if not the whole thing given that Henry had appeared long before that, the thought making Bendy want to either scream in frustration at himself or just start crying harder.

Would knowing that the monochrome monster was Henry had saved Boris? Bendy, honestly wasn't sure, but he ended up forcing himself to truncate the thought. It hurt too much to think about, and for the moment, everything came with some degree of pain.

He couldn't go back, couldn't undo a thing, and at this point, he was more than afraid to go forward. The little devil felt paralyzed, both caught by this bittersweet fortune and what could happen in the possibly near future, how he could lose this too. The fear bubbled up inside, frothing up until it turned into more tears. But, even though the crying and muted wailing, Henry did not loosen his hold on the small toon, resorting to quietly rocking back and forth in lieu of verbal comfort as the ink from the man's body grew runnier with his own emotions.

A pair of faint creaks had Bendy attempting to peer to both sides of the room, the little devil easily catching sight of Buddy peeking over the side of the hammock, and Tom and the angel quietly opening the door.

"Is…everything alright?" The question had come from the angel, and it left the little devil blinking at the almost normal switch the conversation had taken. Like this just wasn't that strange of a thing to be confronted with.

Given that Bendy was shocked into silence, Henry was left to give a sort-of-answering gurgle and a slight shrug of the shoulders. Seeing the more relaxed mood, both Tom and the angel edged in, joining the huddle on the floor. Though Bendy didn't exactly flinch away, the little devil stayed still as a statue, watching the pair come near.

Despite the fact that this probably wasn't too endearing to look at, the angel still passed him a glance with an attempt at an integrating smile.

"Sorry, we weren't introduced. My name is Allison."

"Nice t'meet you." The words were barely out of his mouth when Bendy suddenly noticed spots dancing in front of his eyes, the little devil's frame sagging back to the point of nearly falling over if it were not for a large, inky hand pressing to his back and keeping him upright. Too much ink, he'd dripped too much…

Immediately things happened in what seemed like rapid succession. Henry made a noise, Tom's hands came round to lift Bendy up off the floor, Buddy's mittens patting at his head and face, someone else, probably Allison from the shape of the hands, feeling his forehead and easing what felt like a cup to his mouth.

Water, blessedly cool water. Bendy practically tried to tilt the cup entirely towards his mouth the second he registered the liquid. It seemed almost too soon that the thing was drained dry, though immediately after the lip of a bottle replaced it.

An inkwell, actually. Though Bendy's expression pinched at the somewhat emotionally-charged range of hazy thoughts that flashed through his mind as he realized what he was drinking, he still downed the whole thing. With the world around him winking away into a comatose darkness, Bendy acted on the one thought still firing in his hazy brain.

"'enry?" The little devil groaned as he shakily reached about, his left hand quickly caught in an overlarge set of fingers that felt sticky through his gloves. A faint, bubbling noise came from that direction, Bendy's mouth quirking in a relieved grin even as fading paranoia dragged the following slurred words from his tongue.

"Don' go, 'lease…s'rry…"

It was nearly soundless, but of course the man-turned-ink-monster heard it, an answering, burbling hum following the little devil down into darkness.

* * *

The sound of a hissed conversation over his head drew Boris out of the grey, the soft murmur condensing into words as his mind slowly woke up.

"-you won't be able to keep him here forever-."

"I know that!" The tone came just shy of a bark, the arms tightening around the wolf's frame for a moment before making what seemed like a conscious effort to relax. "I know. I, I just need a few minutes…"

"What are you gonna do for him, Sammy? What can you do?" The other voice, the new voice, said, the gravely vocals familiar but recognition was slipping Boris's mind. Instead, he was drawn in more by the topic at hand, what were they talking about…?

"I wasn't going to leave him down there-."

"I know, believe me, I know. But…" A pause, before: "Joey's gonna figure out you took him, if he hasn't already. I'm not saying abandon him, but…you're going to want to set some things straight, the sooner the better. You're not gonna have long."

Murky thoughts lent to murky conclusions, the wolf still confused on who this 'he' was that they kept going back and forth about, but he definitely homed in on Joey's name. The singular word brought back a flood of unwelcome memories, of _**hands reaching inside PAIN PAIN PAIN a humming voice telling him to FIND BENDY his creator throwing him into a dark maelstrom, dropped him into a chorus of desperate screams, grabbing hands that pulled him down-.**_

Fear broke up the last of the fog, the wolf giving an involuntary shudder as his breathing quickened. But almost immediately one of Sammy's hands moved to rest on Boris's head, gently scratching around his ears in a motion that calmed, but for the wolf the mention of Joey's name was too big a threat to simply sink back into the lulling not-slumber.

The touch did, however, ground him. Enough that instead of springing up Boris only uncurled slightly, trying to open his eyes and only managing to get the right one. Through the left he got a brief flash of pressing, moving darkness before a spike of agony knifed through his head.

At the pained gasp, Sammy snapped into action, peering down at the wolf before speaking up.

"Kid, just shut the eye. It's, you won't be able to use it."

"W-Why?" Boris asked, shakily bringing up a hand to cover his left eye as he did his best to look at the musician with his right. From what he could make out, Sammy's eyebrows were furrowing under their inky coating, expression mired in a rare worry. There was also something else, but only just as the wolf was blinking, something like a faint, golden cloud or mist surrounding Sammy's shoulders and head…

"It's, it's not that important right now, just keep it closed." A faint pause, as the musician's eyes cast about. Boris was nearly ready to turn and see what Sammy was looking at, but as he started to move, the musician hastened to speak again. "Boris, kid, I need you to listen to me-."

"What's, what's happenin', you weren'-." The stumbling start triggered more memories, the wolf briefly pausing as scenes played on the back of his closed eyelid, of _**'Sammy's inky, whirling form gliding down the claustrophobic halls, running as ink flooded his lungs, sinking into the Bendy statue as 'Sammy' stood there and watched-.**_

"Sammy, wh-what's goin' on, why…what happened t'you?"

The whimpered questions seemed to knock the wind from the musician's sails, Sammy briefly going quiet before he could find an answer.

"…I, I made a bad decision. Took up with the wrong people." A brief shadow passed over the ink-stained face, somehow darker than what Boris remembered, though as he tried to levy himself up in order to give the musician a more secure hug, the wolf found that his legs would not move one iota.

"M-My legs, I can't…" Boris stammered, squirming around in Sammy's grip as he tried to get a good look at the aforementioned limbs. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with them, no ink anywhere, and they didn't hurt. But…they also wouldn't work. They almost felt too heavy to move.

"Yeah, 'cause you still have a body to go back to." The return of the gravelly voice made Boris half-jolt, the wolf doing his best to peer around behind to see the owner. Sammy only gave the matter a sigh before taking a hand away to gesture, a tall, stocky man stepping into view a moment later. Boris blinked as he took in this stranger, the ink-stained work overalls and faded brown shirt with an askew collar, black smeared around the shoulders. The stern, weather-beaten face was dirty, though it was impossible to tell whether or not this was more ink or just machine grease. Boris's nose seemed unusually dulled for some reason but he could smell both, along with a fainter odor of sweat hanging around the man, mixing in and telling of close quarters and heavy, churning machinery.

Like the stuff he had seen down in the toy area. The thought of which reminded him of a particular few tapes, with glimmers of advice and windows into the more mysterious parts of the studio. And, the more that Boris thought about it, the more the auditory parts of his memory kicked in, supplying him easily with the gravely, crackling voice that he had heard through the tape deck speakers.

"Connor…?" Boris blurted out, the quiet murmur getting the mechanic's attention with a faint, almost surprised lifting of an eyebrow that was almost completely hidden by the dark stains framing his eyes.

"Didn't think you'd actually know my name, kid. Pretty sure I never met you."

"N-No." The reply came on the heels of a flutter of anxiety, the more impassive part of the mechanic's demeanor setting Boris on edge. It was too much like another, with **dark eyes hidden behind spectacles** …

"The, the tapes. I 'membered you from the tapes. An' when you came…"

"We were told to keep you out of the way." Sammy slid in, slipping his way back into the conversation. "Boris, this is Thomas Connor."

The wolf sat there blinking for an instant, before ingrained politeness had him reaching shakily out, holding out his hand to the mechanic in an effort at a handshake.

"Nice t'meet you, Mr. Connor." Though there was an odd beat of staring, Thomas easily took the gloved hand, carefully pumping it up and down.

"Nice to meet you too, kid."

But something from before was intruding on the moment, something that the mechanic had said a while ago, about Boris having a…body to go back to…

"Wait, I…" Boris started, turning back towards the musician before the final pieces begun to click. "Sammy, are you dead?!"

"…Alright, technically yes, but no one ever really dies in here..." The partial explanation cut itself off as Sammy realized Boris was a hop, skip, and a jump away from crying again, the musician passing a glare and hissing a barely-restrained 'thank you so much' in Thomas's direction.

"Don't look at me like that, Lawrence, we're cutting this close as it is-."

"I know."

"You keep saying that, but I don't think you're getting it." Thomas ground out, kneading at the bridge of his nose before snapping at the musician. "Just tell him, Sammy, we don't have-!"

The mechanic abruptly stopped, eyes going wide and peering off in the direction of the hall behind the wolf, the motion getting both Boris's and Sammy's attention as the musician's arms tightened around the lanky toon, hampering his efforts to look. He could faintly hear something though. An odd, mechanical groaning that sat at the periphery of his hearing.

"…Just hurry up, Sammy. We can't keep this up forever. You know he won't let us."

"Wh, who won't let us?" Boris asked, voice a hushed note of vibrating tension. Immediately, Sammy's eyes were yanked back to meet the wolf's, something in the musician's jaw working for a moment as he appeared to fight, either to explain or console. But, for an instant, he could do neither.

After taking a breath, though, Sammy did try.

"Boris, we're running short on time, so just listen to me, Joey's probably trying to find us-."

Despite the impulse to stay quiet and listen, the name alone had the tension ramping back up in Boris's mind, the wolf's memories easily recalling the words that Joey had said to him before dropping him into the darkness.

 _In fact, if all goes well, you won't be worrying about anything._ If his creator caught him, he might make good on the threat, might make it hard to think, **hard to remember, and turn Boris against Bendy. He'd become a monster, and he wouldn't be able to stop himself-!**

"W-Wait, Joey's, h-he's comin'-?!"

"Boris-."

"Please, Sammy, don' let-!"

"I'm not!" The musician's voice had risen in a yell, the tone completely shutting down the panicking wolf as he huddled in a trembling, curled-up little ball. "Boris, I am not going to just let Joey take you. But, just in case…"

As he spoke, Sammy's fingers were gently carding through the fur on Boris's head, a silent apology for hollering at him. Even still, he continued to speak, the lanky toon doing his best to hang onto the musician's every word for something that might help him.

"No matter what Joey says, no matter what he promises you, keeping telling him no. Don't accept anything he tries to sell you, because he will lie about what's gonna happen if you help him." But he'd have to face Joey again anyway, the thought of which made something shivering and small in Boris want to cry out, to plead for a better way.

But, maybe Sammy couldn't help. Maybe nobody could really help, because Joey had made sure that they couldn't. Feeling the slight hope draining away as a worn sniffle rang out, Boris quietly leaned into Sammy, the musician gently wrapping the lanky toon in a careful hug.

"…I'm sorry, Boris." The wolf could vaguely remember something similar being said, when he'd first woken up. This sounded the same, worn out and defeated, pricking at the toon's sense of compassion. This wasn't right, none of this was right, he didn't want to get Sammy back just to make his mentor sound so drained, because of him. But though 'it's okay' was on the tip of Boris's tongue, what instead came out was…

"He, he wanted me t'get Bendy. T'find him an', an' bring him. But…I saw…Joey, h-he's gonna hurt Ben, I couldn'…I couldn' do that." Boris wasn't sure exactly why he'd said it, maybe he'd wanted to let someone know what had happened, maybe he had the thought in his mind that if he mentioned it then maybe there might be something more that someone could do. But, instead of some grand epiphany or sudden lifting in mood, things only seemed to sink even more. Sammy only gave the wolf's frame a brief, tight squeeze of a hug, Boris's more sensitive ears able to pick up another faint apology.

"You probably know more than us then." Thomas quietly murmured, the out of the blue speech getting the attention of both Sammy and Boris. But though the wolf was completely confused, the musician seemed to have something more in terms of an inclination as to what Thomas was talking about.

"I think only one person here really knows what Drew is up to but seeing as they're not allowed to talk…" Sammy's semi-explanation ended with a glare aimed at the ceiling, Boris briefly confused as to who the pair were talking about. Who would Joey tell his plans to? Why would this person be helping the studio head do all of this? Did they have a choice in the matter?

But before Boris's brain could fully follow the tangent, he noticed something. Namely that the sound that had been teasing at his ears from before was back, much louder, and this time, he could place what it was.

It was the sound of pipes groaning when they were under too much pressure.

Sammy nearly threw himself to his feet, Boris almost tumbling from the musician's arms before he managed to right himself.

"Sammy, c'mon-!" Thomas hollered, the mechanic already running down the hall, away from the shrieking of the pipes. Sammy did dart after him, Boris bouncing a bit as the musician tried his best to get some distance, but it seemed like only moments later that the groaning cut off in an echoing crash.

The sound was followed by a mighty thunder of rushing liquid, Boris peering over Sammy's shoulder and catching sight of the rising, dark floods beginning to fill the corridor behind them. The wolf almost thought he could see hands reaching from the inky mires, **reaching out for him, trying to claim him, pull him back-!**

"Sammy!" Thomas shouted up ahead, the pair's attention quickly grabbed as the mechanic climbed up a few barrels to what looked like a level above where they were. With the promise of higher ground, the musician dashed for the makeshift 'stairs', hefting Boris in his arms as he tried to follow Thomas's example.

But with the added weight Sammy was just too slow, and the flood quickly knocked Boris from his grip. Though before the wolf could be entirely swept away, the musician managed to latch onto his right arm with a hand, keeping his head just above the rushing ink. Boris caught sight of Thomas grabbing onto Sammy's other hand, anchoring the musician as he cried out to the wolf.

"Boris, hang onto me!"

Boris certainly tried, floundering to try to grab on with his left hand too, but the floods were too strong. And he could feel the hands, pulling at his clothing, his legs, even the aforementioned arm, trying to pull him back under. As the ink splashed around his ears, he could hear the hum of the voices, the cacophony of screaming sounding like it was coming from a badly tuned radio. But it was there, close enough that it made Boris fight all the harder not to be dragged down.

His other arm would not rise above the ink, his legs dead weight in the slurry. And, with the slickness of the ink soaking into his right arm, the grip starting to slide as the fur grew slick.

The fight in Sammy's eyes turned to desperation as he realized what was happening, the musician briefly fighting with Thomas's grip on his other hand to use something, anything to stabilize the wolf. But it wouldn't work, Boris knew it wouldn't work, he could feel his hand slipping, he'd be **pulled back in!**

"S-Sammy!" The wolf choked, trying to keep the ink from getting into his mouth as terrified tears trickled down his face. "Sammy, please! I-I can't-!"

"Don't start that!" Sammy snarled back, nearly yanking his hand away from Thomas's to lend his full effort to keeping Boris above the flood. "Don't talk like that! Give me your other hand!"

The wolf hand been about to try, desperation kicking his efforts into overdrive, only to freeze as a hand suddenly rose up from the ink and grabbed at the right side of Boris's head. The fingers were cold, wrapping themselves around the toon's ear and yanking down. The motion pulled the right side of Boris's head into the ink, and forced his left eye to open.

The world turned dark and swimming, pain knifing through the wolf's eye socket as he started to thrash. He felt like his legs were moving, but they were doing nothing to help him push through the current towards the hand that still held onto his arm. Boris could hear Sammy, but the musician's voice sounded faint and far away, drowning in the roar of the ink and the chorus of screams and cries that pressed against his right ear. He wanted to scream, to call for help, but he still had enough sense that he knew if he opened his mouth he would swallow the ink.

But even as he fought between fear and frantic energy, Boris could feel the grip in the hand slipping from his arm, falling further and further as Sammy's yelling grew quiet, the musician throwing all of his concentration into keeping hold on the wolf.

Though, despite Sammy's best efforts, eventually there was no more arm to hold onto.

A muffled scream reverberated through the wolf's throat as he suddenly felt the current carrying him away, the grasp of multiple hands latched onto his legs and arm only helping him along and pulling him under. Boris could only just hear an answering yell from Sammy, an alarmed noise coming from Thomas echoing oddly in his ears right before the toon was _submerged in the_ _ **ink, spinning end over end in darkness**_ _-._

 _-_ _ **SCREAMING, EVERYONE'S SCREAMING**_ _-_

 _-can't do this anymore-_

 _-Long days, long nights, never going home,_ _ **we're never going home**_ _-_

 _-_ _ **GET ME OUT**_ _-_

 _-please, just let me go, let me die-_

 _-_ _ **SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE**_ _-_

 _-help's not coming, it's never coming-_

 _-save us, he has to_ _ **SAVE**_ _ **US**_ _-_

 _-don't give up, mustn't give up-_

 _ **-that's it, come right up here**_ _…" The voice sounded different from the others. Clearer, more coherent as it managed to squeak past the cacophony of chatter and screams, drawing Boris to it like a moth to the flame, the wolf desperate for some stability in the whirling dark. But as he came close, something long and thin wrapped itself around his limbs and torso, pulling him up, up, up_ and away, and into a new sort of space. This was much quieter than the void, surely, but for the moment Boris would hardly say that it looked much better.

For starters, it was almost just as dark, the walls swimming with movement, almost like he was in a dome of sorts, and the ink was still flowing around outside. There were shapes pressed against the walls, almost like there were two other domes sitting on either side of him, but no matter how much the wolf tried to see he couldn't tell what was in them.

He also could feel something, things, wrapped around his arms, legs, and even a few times around his chest. Looking down, Boris was completely surprised, and more than a little worried, to see that the something was a winding line of blood red string. At least, it looked like string. The wolf was fairly certain that string was not supposed to glow, or pulsate like this one was. His attempts to grab it were not all that successful either, Boris feeling the thin cord burn under his fingers as he tried to get ahold of it. Yelping and withdrawing hands that felt like they should be smoking, the toon had a moment to breathe before suddenly the ropes yanked, pulling him upright and a few inches off the floor.

Underneath the high-pitched yelp Boris made as he suddenly found himself dangling, his heart stammered in his chest as his ears picked out an all-too familiar clopping noise, like a cane hitting wood.

His lungs joined the rest of his chest cavity in its panic as Joey Drew stepped around to stand in front of him, the wolf meeting his creator's eyes with nothing but mute terror. This was a far cry from last time, where his mind had been muddled, his memories far away.

Now, he remembered everything. Everything that Joey had done, everything that had happened out in the studio, the fact that Joey had caused it…

…And now, he was alone with the man.

 _ **No one's coming. No one's going to save you. You'll be just like them.**_ The thoughts pounded through Boris's head, beating a violent tattoo on his already-terrified mind.

But, in a complete contrast to the fear-struck image the wolf cut, the man simply looked over the toon, before glancing down at his own hands. As Boris stared, more of the red cords suddenly appeared, leading down into the 'floor' as they spiraled out from Joey's fingertips.

A faint twitch of his fingers, and something pulled the cord wrapped around Boris's right arm. The sudden wrenching pulled the wolf's arm from hanging in the air to pointed at the ground, yanking hard for a moment before letting up. Despite a faint, pained gasp, Joey hardly looked up at the noise, instead focusing his attention on his own hands as his fingers quirked and pulled at the strings.

And, as he did, the wolf's frame was tugged about, an arm up, another down, body veering wildly from side to side, his legs swung forwards and back at the whim of a few tugs from the red string. The end result was a still-panicked, now thoroughly discombobulated Boris that only had a few moments of peace before the strings pulled again, this time sending his arms pointing at the ceiling, and tightening around his upper body.

The pain and pressure grew and kept building, terror growing in Boris that he would be torn apart under the force. Joey had already hurt him, it wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility, the thought provoking the mental image of the **cords biting through his wrists and into his midsection and pulling him asunder-.**

"J-Joey-!" The wolf yelped, eyes tearing as pain spiked through his arms and chest. "You're hurtin' me, stop, please-!"

Though the words did get the pressure to loosen, Boris knew better than to get his hopes up; pleading with Joey hadn't worked before. He was proven sadly right when another loop of the red string lashed itself around his muzzle, pinning his jaws shut and keeping the sobbed cries muffled, any further beseeching locked in the wolf's vocal chords. Instead the toon tried to struggle away, hoping that if he moved he might loosen the grip of the ropes, but that only made them tighten more so he was forced to stop. Trying to keep as limp as possible, Boris felt himself be flipped around again and again, a cord pulling hard at his right arm, another doing the same with his left, two more yanking at both his legs before it seemed that a reprieve had been granted, the wolf coming to a hovering standstill.

Except this time, it seemed as though Joey wanted to break his silence. Boris felt himself start to cower as his creator looked from his hands to the wolf's wide, terrified eyes.

" **Now, Boris** ," Joey's voice hummed like something far too big for the man's frame, the wolf wanting to shrink away though the red strings kept him from moving. "… **I am going to give you one last chance**. And, I'll even sweeten the deal for you…"

"If you bring Bendy to me, I will make sure to fix things for everyone. Sammy, Wally, Henry, even Norman, if I can manage it. And of course, you will have Alice, and Bendy, once he and I are finished with what we need to do. In fact," Joey's voice turned jovial, the wolf feeling himself grow more fearful at the new edge to his creator's smile. "As a show of good faith, I'll even let you talk to Sammy, right now. **Wouldn't you like that, Boris**?"

Yes, yes he absolutely would, but not like this. Not dragging his mentor right in the middle of this whole sordid scene. While the wolf was undoubtably still scared out of his mind, the idea of someone he cared about getting caught in the crossfire only frightened him more. But, even without Boris's direct say-so, Joey had already withdrawn a tape deck from somewhere on his person, the red cords wrapping themselves around and attaching to the back. At the same time, Boris felt something both cold and warm in spots slither around his head, the feeling making his fur stand on end. There was a brief crackle, before suddenly a voice popped its way into clarity over both the tape deck, and from whatever was pressed to the wolf's ears.

"-the hell?!" If Boris had any doubts about who was speaking, the familiar tones and irritable twang cinched it for him right away. It also made his heart both leap in his chest, and stammer horribly given that this could only end badly.

"Hello, Sammy." Joey replied conversationally, the greeting getting a stony silence for a singular beat before the musician launched into a furious rejoinder.

"Go jump in the goddamn Ink Machine, Drew."

"As loquacious as ever, I see."

"Hell with you and stay away from me, you goddamn sadist."

"Duly noted, though I think we might have a very good reason to talk, apart from the fact your body is making things so much easier for me regarding keeping things under control…despite hiccups."

"Screw off, Drew!" The snarl was probably the angriest that Boris had ever heard Sammy, and there had definitely been some moments that he could remember. Though he knew it was hardly meant for him, the wolf felt himself flinch away, blinking tears out of his eyes as he peered down at where Joey stood. Even though Sammy sounded like he might want to reach through the connection and strangle his creator Joey looked almost bored, quietly examining the cords spiraling off from his fingers as though the racket that the musician was making was mere background noise.

"Oh come now, surely we can both be adults here-."

"That's very rich coming from you, you walking house of horrors."

"If you'd decided to work with me rather than against me, Sammy, it might not have been this way."

"Work with you?! On _this_?!"

"Well, you know what they say, too many cooks spoil the broth. Projects tend to go better if everyone's on the same page."

"You're playing with people's lives. You call that a 'project'?" The hissed note from Sammy provoked barely a chuckle from Joey, almost as thought the musician had said something particularly funny or outlandish.

"They've signed contracts, haven't they?"

"And that gives you the right-?!"

"They wanted to work for me so badly, they can carry it on for as long as I want them too." The response was even, almost cold, making Boris shiver as he remembered the faces of the music department. Every last person, and Joey thought of them as less than the people that the wolf had interacted with every day. It had been a realization that was hammering away at the back of his mind, but hearing it now felt like a bucket of cold water to the face.

An angry snarl was Sammy's only response, the noise faintly broken up at the tail end by a rumble of noise that, to Boris's more discerning ears, reminded him of Thomas's voice. Was the mechanic still there? At least Sammy wouldn't be alone…

The wolf might've remained quiet, wanting to be as far removed from the pitched back and forth as he could be, but his role was decided for him when one of the cords tightened over his muzzle. The burning constriction causing a strained, muffled yelp to burst forth from Boris's vocal chords, ringing out in the brief lull.

The silence that followed was so thick it could have been cut with a knife, Joey remaining quiet as though to let the noise sink in. After a moment though, Sammy's voice came through with a crackle, the musician's voice a complete reversal from the fire and brimstone that had fueled it before.

"…Boris?"

He almost didn't want to answer, knowing far too well now what Joey meant to do with this, but a part of the wolf desperately wanted to reach out, wanted to be helped and taken away from this horrible, horrible place…

The only sound Boris was able to make was a faint cross of a human and canid whimper, but to Sammy it might as well have been a booming cry.

"Joey…?" The silent question was answered with a faint, humorless chuckle, Boris watching as his creator gave the tape deck a triumphant smirk before he formed his reply.

"Think we can both be adults now, Sammy?"

"Leave the kid alone, Joey-." The musician started, a disappointed clicking of the tongue the only response before the fingers on Joey's left hand snapped closed, flipping Boris entirely around and completely upside down. The wolf's limbs were pulled into a starfish position, arms and legs pulled away from his body, a yelp and a faint scream the only sounds escaping from his throat as he fought to re-orientate himself.

Albeit, before he could, Boris caught sight of something directly under his head, almost like some sort of shadow showing through the floor. He couldn't make out much, maybe some foggy specifics, a tall, long shape, almost like someone lying down-.

And then something touched Boris's chest, directly over his heart. The faint contact chased the thought from the wolf's brain entirely as he gave an involuntary, strangled scream and tried his damnedest to scramble away, his brain screaming _**gonna kill me, he's gonna kill me again, can't run, please I DON'T WANT TO DIE-!**_

But, for all the frantic energy put into the attempt, the cords only tightened their grip on his frame, doing more than enough to keep him still. Over his panic, Boris could hear Sammy yelling, both through whatever was wrapped around his head, and the tape deck that Joey still held in his unoccupied hand.

"JOEY, JOEY STOP, LEAVE HIM ALONE!" And, as the relatively gentle prod turned to a complete hand pressed to Boris's front, the touch causing heat to seep into the fur and turning the wolf's muffled screaming to terrified sobs: "STOP GODDAMN IT, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!"

"Hmm?" The questioning hum was the only acknowledgement that Joey made towards Sammy, having completely tuned out both the musician's and Boris's cries as his hand pressed into the wolf's ribcage.

"What the hell do you want, Joey?! Why are you even doing this, the kid's done nothing to you!"

The warm pressure of the hand on Boris's chest was starting to be answered by a pulsing rhythm under the wolf's skin, the almost heartbeat-like thundering reverberating through the toon's frame. Boris's eyes squeezed shut as the only defense he could offer, tears trickling to the top of his head as he sobbed helplessly. A sudden, sharp tug on the front of his chest made another strangled scream break forth from the wolf's still-bound jaws, though what he saw when he opened his eyes confused him. There was a new red cord hanging near his face, coming from somewhere above him. Not to mention, his ribcage still felt intact. What was going on?

"JOEY!" The holler reminded the pair of the third party to their one-sided conversation, Sammy's anger reaching a fever-pitch as he tried to discern what he could from the sounds.

"In an answer to your earlier question, Sammy, all Boris has done is made things difficult, really. It would be so much easier if he'd just do what was asked of him." And with that, Joey rounded off the explanation by outright tossing the tape deck away. Even still, Boris could hear Sammy hollering, asking what was going on through the thing still wrapped around his head, but for the moment it was put on hold as Joey looked up at the wolf.

"So, what do you think, Boris?"

A teary, uncomprehending stare was the only answer the toon felt able to offer, the notion behind the question completely escaping him as the moment railroaded between terrifying and enigmatic. Flinching as the silence provoked an irritable downturn in Joey's facial features, Boris was both relieved and even more wary when his creator simply opted to repeat himself.

"Regarding our earlier discussion, about my offer." The tone was one of those slow, simplistic ones that Joey used whenever something he'd said had gone completely over Boris's head, but for the moment the wolf was glad for the simplicity. It made things easier for his frantic mind to process, though what he was coming up with hardly made him feel much better. He remembered all too well what Joey had been asking him to do, and while the answer was still no the wolf was wholeheartedly terrified by what his creator might do with yet another refusal.

But what Sammy said earlier rang in the wolf's ears, and he could definitely say that he trusted Sammy far more than he trusted Joey. And, if his mentor had told him not to…

Reading the slight, trembling shake of Boris's head exactly as he'd meant it, Joey's expression turned sour before going blankly impassive, and yanking up on the cords. Boris's eyes slammed shut, shivering in fright before he'd realized that he hadn't moved an inch.

But, if that hadn't been what Joey had pulled on, then what…?

It was right then and there that Boris noticed that the floor was different, the dark, swimming surface suddenly looking a lot more, monochrome. The shape he'd noticed before, it had been outside, Joey must've pulled it through.

Though it took the wolf a moment to have some sense of what he was looking at, probably due to the ink rushing to his head, there were still familiar landmarks with which he could guide himself. It took a second, but Boris could eventually pick out that the shape was wearing off-white overalls, covered in ink-slick fur, a canid snout and features…

It was like looking in a warped funhouse mirror, the sight reminiscent of the vision that Boris had experienced back in the haunted house, the comparison only making his fear grow. Not to mention, the cord that he had noticed earlier was leading down to the prone form's chest, connecting him to it, along with others leading into its legs. And, as he stared, the wolf became acutely aware of a pounding sensation reverberating through his chest, the grinding thump-thump echoing in his ears as though the organ was fighting to perform it's intended purpose.

Tearing his eyes away, Boris's gaze shot to his creator, both wondering at what exactly was about to happen and knowing that he absolutely did not want whatever it was to pass. But Joey avoided his eyes, seemingly out of indifference at the wolf's fear, tweaking the cords and causing the body to jerk, the rippling of the ink-logged frame bringing to light more and more changes. Instead of merely being long and lanky, the length of the body was nearly grotesque, the teeth showing through the partially open mouth looking far sharper than Boris could ever remember them being. There were also claws poking through the dark shoes and white gloves, the pale articles themselves stained with black ink that both gushed from the canid mouth, and dripped from seemingly all over the body. Even more alarmingly, the more these spasms rocked the warped form, the more Boris could feel a pressure in his chest, a pulling in his limbs, like they were being yanked along with the tugs on the malformed body underneath. Though they were distant, it more than reminded him of the vision, and the scene he'd watched played out in the mirror, the feeling only compounded as the pounding in his chest and ears grew stronger and stronger. The likeness simply caused more tears, the liquid trickling down Boris's ears as he dreaded what was coming. Faintly, he could still make out Sammy hollering, but it seemed far away in the face of smothering, colossal panic. But despite his muffled whimpering, Boris did not dare try to plea, knowing that if he made a move, it would be worse, if he protested, it would be worse, it would always be worse, **his creator wouldn't listen, he'd just cut and hurt and take-.**

And, as Joey gave one, final yank of the red strings, the wolf was dropped down into his altered body, feeling the ink-logged muscles and limbs lock in around him, stiff and painful from the changes wrought. Though he tried to scream, his mouth would not move, his too-long, warped frame instead clambering up to stand at the ready in front of Joey, his creator coming forward with a pleased smile lighting over his face.

"Now that that's all done, Boris, **don't move until I say so.** And not to worry, this'll all be over soon."

Despite the somewhat hunched, at-attention pose Boris's malformed frame kept, inky tears still trickled from his eyes, the rest of his face frozen in a blankly still expression. Even still, the wolf could hear Sammy faintly murmuring, the musician having apparently given up on trying to harangue Joey and instead had turned his attention to the sobbing toon that he could talk to.

"It's, I'm here, Boris, I'm still here…"

* * *

 _The little devil tried to be as quiet as possible as he crept down the hallway. Things had calmed down, as it was after five, but there were still people milling about the halls. Still, where he was heading was making him more than a little nervous, as it was in the less active parts of the studio, and the lights down here had been turned off. Still, he knew he had to try this part. He wasn't going to try the upstairs yet, as far as he knew Joey was still up there, and he'd checked through the rest of the animation floor. This had to be it._

 _Opening the door to the downstairs break room, Bendy peered down in the shadowy darkness, trying his best to see and listen. He definitely didn't have as good ears as some other toons, but, over the sounds of the Ink Machine churning away, he could make out the sounds of something, or someone, sniffling and quietly sobbing from somewhere in the dark._

 _"Boris?" Bendy murmured, carefully padding his way down the stairs as he tried to do his best not to trip. The last thing he needed right now was to take a spill, though arguably that would probably make the wolf come out a lot faster…_

 _At the soft call, the crying was immediately smothered, though Bendy could still just hear the muffled sounds as the source tried to taper down on the noise while being unable to completely stop. Though he peered under the stairs, the little devil found that there were no odd shapes in the shadowy dark, nothing that stood out to him as unusual and therefore worth further investigation. Still, the more he listened, the more he was realizing that the muffled noise was coming from somewhere off on the other side of the room, where the light would not touch. It figured that the wolf was off hiding in the farthest corner, his sight being much better at navigating in the dark than Bendy's, but that didn't mean that the little devil had to enjoy stumbling through the break room after him._

 _After reeling around following his stubbing his foot on a chair leg, Bendy shuffled his way forward, hands held out to hopefully keep himself from running into anything else. Besides, the noises were getting slightly louder, he had to be getting closer…_

 _"Boris? Pal, you there?"_

 _A faint sniffle and a shuffling answered Bendy, the source moving even further away into the alcove at the far side of the room. The noise made the small toon hurry along as best he could, remembering how there was a boarded-up part of the room to the left. The last thing he wanted was for Boris to somehow break through or have an accident._

 _"Boris, it's okay, I'm coming." Bendy tried again, finally making his way past the doorframe of the alcove. Nary a step later, the little devil practically tripped over Boris's leg, nearly veering into what might've been the wall if it were not for a long arm flying out to grab him. The movement made the wolf give a shuddering, shiver of a breath, the taller toon clearly still in tears despite the distraction._

 _"Pal, its, it's okay, I'm here, what's wrong?"_

 _But, instead of answering, Boris gave a whimpering little whine, Bendy more feeling himself be levied to rest in the wolf's lap as the lanky frame shook underneath him, the hand moving away to some other place in the darkness. Reaching after it, the little devil managed to latch onto it, though felt the faint unease grow into a burgeoning sense of alarm as he realized that Boris had wrapped his hand around his ear, and was giving the appendage a series of jerky, rough tugs that probably hurt more than anything else._

 _"Boris-?!" Bendy squeaked, further exclamations of 'what are you doing?' and 'stop that, you're hurting yourself!' on his tongue. However, instead of giving them voice, the little devil choked them down and focused his efforts on getting Boris to let go of his ear. Not that the task was hard, Boris's fingers loosened up at the slightest bit of resistance from the much smaller, gloved hands, but the wolf's crying was still very much a problem. Fumbling in the dark, and hoping desperately that he wasn't about to poke Boris in the eye, Bendy's hands carefully rested on either side of Boris's head, trying his best to wipe at the tears he could feel soaking through his gloves. As he did, the gears of his brain kept turning, mouth spitting out words that seemed to run off his tongue like water._

 _"Boris, pal, it's okay, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here, pal, you're, I gotcha, Boris, I gotcha…" They almost didn't make a lot of sense, and almost sounded lame to Bendy's ears, but between the careful touch and the lower, soothing tone, the wolf's breathing eased away from the gasping, shuddering sobs and into something a little calmer, but no less winded. Though for a moment after, Bendy found himself stuck with a conundrum on just how to comfort the wolf. Usually Henry would gently knead around the devil's horns if he were this upset, but Bendy's shorter frame restricted him to either just hugging Boris, or trying to stand up in the wolf's lap to reach his head._

 _Hugging it was then, especially since Boris had chosen to wrap the little devil up in a somewhat desperate squeeze, Bendy doing his best to reciprocate despite the somewhat cramped position it left him in. As he did, the little devil couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened. Had someone said something to Boris, was that why he was hiding like this?_

 _It wouldn't be too hard to figure, Bendy had already had his share of snide comments after the animators who'd been around when he'd been made had left, only to be replaced with people who didn't know him, didn't care, would ask questions like '_ _ **why did Joey even make that thing**_ _?' when Henry and Louie weren't around and they thought Bendy wasn't listening…_

 _Fighting around the strange knot of emotions broiling in his gut, the small toon simply hugged the wolf all the tighter, trying to put all his energy into providing comfort rather than dwelling on a problem that as far as he knew, he could do nothing about. He definitely didn't want to get shut in some closet again. Joey'd stopped after Boris came along, but that could easily change if Bendy made him mad enough._

 _It could have just been the thoughts clogging up his mind, but it took the little devil an embarrassingly long moment to realize that Boris was talking. Well, not so much talking as murmuring under his breath, but the words were still audible all the same._

 _"'m sorry, 'm sorry, 'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…"_

 _"Pal, pal, it's okay, it's okay, Boris…" Bendy tried to answer, putting all his effort into the hug as though he could simply squeeze the bad emotions out of the wolf if he tried hard enough. "Y'didn' do anythin' wrong, y'didn', y'didn' do anythin' wrong…"_

Bendy could still feel Henry's hand closed around his own as he woke up. It made the little devil wonder if he'd been asleep a lot less longer than he'd thought.

He felt…better, ish, at least physically. Mentally was a whole different ballgame right now.

At the faintest groan, the ink-covered animator turned towards the hammock, the grip shifting a little to accommodate the movement. Though the sight both made something in Bendy freeze in both a mix of fear and quiet regret, he nearly didn't remember why the latter emotion was there until his mind was able to catch up to the moment.

"…Hey, Henry…" The quiet greeting did get a somewhat friendly-seeming burble, the animator seeming to realize immediately off that he didn't really sound all that great and tried to scrub at his face, a pained hiss accompanying the motion.

"H-Henry…" The faint whine stopped the man's efforts cold, Henry's attention immediately turning to Bendy as though the little devil had shouted his name instead.

"'s okay, don' do that, sounds like it hurts…" Bendy's words did get Henry to stop, the man giving a quiet, more affirming and apologetic gurgle. However, the small toons efforts to flip himself over to bring both hands closer made the hammock wobble threateningly, the noise drawing a surprised gasp from Bendy, a garbled squeak coming from somewhere at the little devil's back, and a watery-sounding inhale from Henry as the animator reached out with his other hand to steady the hammock. At first, the shrill noise coming from behind him threw Bendy entirely off guard, before he remembered who else was likely on the hammock with him. Trying his best to sit up without shaking the hammock again, the little devil flipped his head around to look, immediately catching sight of-.

"Bud?"

At the sound of his name, the tiny toon flinched, 'looking' up in Bendy's general direction with a shivering little nod and a quivering smile. The small grin grew more sure as Bendy reached over, gently scratching at the minute devil's still ink-logged 'hair'.

"Hey, Bud. Sleep well?"

A quiet nod was the answer to that, the tiny toon briefly clambering over to huddle next to Bendy before a faint burble from Henry drew Buddy's attention to the animator. But, surprisingly, the minute devil didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the odd noise. Instead, Buddy shuffled over a little more, reaching out to Henry's hand. Not really thinking about it, Bendy helped to guide the tiny mitten hands to the large, globby ones, finding himself even more surprised when, instead of completely withdrawing, Henry only seemed confused for just a moment or two before relaxing, a finger gently maneuvering to try to steady the minute devil.

"Uh…" Bendy started, the hum getting the attention of both toon and transformed man. "…Did I miss somethin' here?"

The question snapped the pair's 'gazes' back to Bendy like a magnet, though, as to an answer, neither seemed to really know how to go into it. Not to mention, they were both dealing with some significant obstacles, so the little devil decided to let the matter go.

"Never mind, I…don' think I need t'know right now. We'll figure out-." A sudden growl coming from the small toon's stomach cut the moment short, Bendy's face coloring as his insides protested to going without food for so long. He'd maybe have tried to ask for the bowl that Tom had left a little while ago, cold food was better than none, but a quick glance told the little devil that he hadn't been wrong before; Henry had indeed put his fingers in it when he'd been holding onto the desk for support. Certainly nothing edible there now…

But to get more, that meant going back out into the front room, wherever Tom and Allison were. Not exactly a daunting prospect, but there was still a part of Bendy that couldn't help an ashamed grimace at the idea of admitting that he'd wasted food.

Still, sitting here and stewing wouldn't get him anywhere, and given that the intestinal rumble was certainly loud enough for Henry to hear the animator-turned-ink-monster was already gesturing for the little devil to hop down to him. Though Bendy balked at leaping directly onto Henry again, he did meet the man halfway, or tried to, landing partially in Henry's brandished arm while still giving himself more than enough space to touch down on the floor proper. To further help things along, Bendy reached back for Buddy, gently levying the tiny toon to stand. Albeit, Buddy seemed to have other ideas, carefully pulling himself up to sit right on Henry's shoulder. And, though Bendy winced at both the sight and the memory of the painful-looking rifts in the artist's skin, he was rather surprised to see that Henry didn't try to shuffle the tiny toon off, barely even one twitch of movement to hint that Buddy wasn't welcome where he was.

It almost seemed…somewhat practiced. Like they'd both done this sort of thing before, further lending to the idea wiggling about in the back of Bendy's mind that there was something here that he wasn't aware of. But, short of a long stretch of wall he wasn't sure Henry nor Buddy could really tell him too much right now. Snapping out of his thoughts at the quiet gesture the animator gave him, an invitation to hop up himself he wanted, Bendy did his best to carefully turn down the offer with an unseen smile and a murmured word.

"'m good, Henry. 'Sides, don' wanna put too much strain on ya, y-y'look like you've had enough'a that fer a while." It sounded much steadier than everything he'd said before, but Henry still paused, carefully reaching up and partially feeling his way to rest an overlarge, inky finger on Bendy's coat shoulder, almost like a comforting hand. The little devil halted, thoughts to go to the door completely put on hold with both the desire to indulge Henry, and perhaps the creeping realization that, twisted around and different as this was, there was something in the contact that the little devil had sorely missed.

It was a calm, quiet moment that was interrupted too soon by another low growl from Bendy's stomach, the little devil actually feeling some hunger pangs this time around. Feeling Henry's effort at a comforting touch turn into a more insistent nudge, the little devil couldn't quite stifle a quiet, worn chuckle at the quiet encouragement.

However, when the three went out into the main room, a surprise was found on the wall immediately to their left. Namely that of a slew of lines inked into the old wood, Bendy peering at them as he, Henry, and Buddy made their way through. Given that the other two couldn't really see the drawings the small toon opted not to mention it, instead trying his best to look closer while keeping one foot in front of the other.

It wasn't until he was nearly level with it that some of the intersections and squiggles made sense, things falling into place in short order. The lines were a rough map, probably of the inside of the studio if Bendy were to be any judge. He…wasn't sure if this was a place that he had been to yet though, as either the person making the map had a particular way of layering the many floors, or he was really bad at reading this particular one.

But, even with the conundrum of the map to consider, the little devil's attention was swiftly redirected as a faint humming started to make itself apparent to his ears, his behorned head spinning quickly to the right and taking in a sort of makeshift kitchen.

Well, half a kitchen, it definitely didn't look like the one in the safehouse that he and Bor-that he had been to recently. There was something on the far wall that he could definitely tell had some purpose as an oven, and a table right nearby where people might eat. No chairs though, which made Bendy wonder if chairs were a luxury that were harder to swipe or if this hadn't been as lived in as he'd initially thought.

Not that the thought really mattered all that much, the tiny kitchen was indeed occupied by both the angel ( _Allison_ , his brain reminded him.) and Tom. The wolf was sitting up against the wall with a bowl of soup held carefully in his metal hand, alternating somewhat between handling a spoon with his right and directly sipping from the bowl. Allison was busy with something over near the stove, though whatever that was was immediately put on hold as the sound of the trio coming in registered.

The humming that Bendy had noticed before stopped as the angel turned, eyes carefully peering out at the little devil under black bangs. The sheer intensity of the gaze, like Allison was optically coming close, going through his pockets, shaking him around to see what would make him tick, made Bendy want to shrink back behind the door frame in an effort to keep a barrier up.

Though, seeming to notice the effect her demeanor was having, Allison blinked, the scrutiny draining away from her expression and gaze as something softer and more empathetic seeped in instead.

"Sorry, it's just-." The angel started, before seeming to change her mind and instead swapped the subject. "Did you want more soup? We still have some left."

"Y-Yeah, that'd be great." Bendy replied, trying to settle now that the odd moment had passed. Though as the somewhat shaky tone registered, Henry pulled himself a little closer, an almost quiet gurgle emanating from where the man's head lay under the ink.

"I'm fine, it's fine." The little devil murmured back, easing himself forward as though to prove it, stepping fully into the room as Allison put together a bowl of soup, easily turning and handing the food to Bendy. And, as the smell of something warm permeated his nose, his stomach gave another vocal complaint, the small toon's face coloring as the noise drew a few laughs and a pair of humored snorts from Buddy and Tom, the latter of whom tried to hide the resulting grin in his soup bowl.

In lieu of chairs, Bendy sat down on the floor with his soup, about to dig in before looking around and briefly scooting a little closer to Henry, the animator inching nearer at the sound of shuffling. They ended up meeting each other in the middle, Bendy partially reclining against Henry's offered arm as he tucked into his bowl. Tom was not too far away, the wolf glancing up and giving the movement a thoughtful look before going back to his food.

Allison meanwhile had spooned the last bit of soup for herself, and joined the rest of the huddle on the floor. Catching sight of Buddy still perched on Henry's shoulders, the angel couldn't help a smile rippling with quiet laughter. The tiny toon's tail wagged at the cheered noise, though his expression clouded as Allison tapered off, the angel's gaze falling to the clothing that Bendy was dressed in. Though the coat and scarf were worn, and liberally coated with ink, it wasn't hard to see that they didn't exactly fit with the rest of the little devil, the worn and patchwork dark browns completely contrasting the simpler, if slightly dirtied monochrome of Bendy himself. They certainly didn't blend with the ink-stained sepia of the studio.

"Are those from… outside?"

Bendy jerked up at the sudden, halting question, briefly fighting with a prodigious mouthful of soup so that he could answer. Even though he didn't have a proper neck, the little devil still had a brief worry that he'd overestimated his esophagus.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll let you finish-." Allison had started, realizing that her would-be conversation partner was wrestling with his food. Despite the fact that it felt like the heat from the soup was still wafting uncomfortably up his throat, Bendy tried to grin and bear it as he waved the apology off.

"No, no, it's okay. Uh, yeah, they pretty much are. Just whatever I could find." He finished the explanation with winding off the ink-stained, once light-colored scarf, easily handing it over to Allison if she wanted to take a closer look. For a moment, Bendy wasn't sure he'd done the right thing, the angel's face miring with something heavy and forlorn as her fingers gently touched the black-spotted fabric.

But something in Allison's face softened, her eyes turning from the stained scarf to the little devil still sitting in front of her.

"What was it like? Out there? What's changed?" The quiet questions were, thought provoking to say the least, though Bendy wasn't sure he wanted to ask them and redirect the conversation.

"Uh…" Well, geez, where was he supposed to start? Bendy tried to fight off a flicker of unease, mostly because he didn't think he ought to be putting himself into a mindset where he could lose any more ink if he could help it, and just fired off with the first thing that came to mind. "…well, movies got more expensive, that's for sure. Used to be 'bout a dime, now it's a couple'a bucks. I used to go t'see stuff, when I could find change. Saw a lotta great movies that way, like this one called _Singin' In The Rain_ , still 'member the songs..."

A quick glance up told Bendy that this wasn't entirely the track that Allison had wanted to go on, considering the still somewhat expectant gaze she was beaming down at him.

"Uhmm…well, th-there was a lotta music that came out, lil' while ago…" _Please figure out where in the heck you're going with this, Bendy, please…_ "Th-The guy, Elvis, he passed away recently, he made a lotta good songs, heard 'em on the radio plenty, along with some others…"

"He was a jazz singer and they played him on the radio?" Allison asked, the angel's brows furrowing as she tried to keep up with the somewhat stilted explanation. For a brief instant, the question confused Bendy until he remembered, if Allison was from the studio, then maybe the last thing she'd remember would be from the nineteen-forties, jazz had been the big thing then.

"W-Well, naw, Elvis wasn't really jazz, he was…he started makin' a new kind of music, an' people liked it so much they played him all over."

Briefly Allison looked as though she wanted to keep asking on that train of thought, but another idea came to mind.

"What else has happened? I think, the last thing I remember hearing about was that there was…some sort of problem in…I think it might've been China…"

Now that, Bendy wasn't too sure about. He'd gone to libraries, especially after people on TVs and in the streets had started vehemently discussing what they called the 'Cuban Missile Crisis', to look at maps to figure out where these places were, how it would affect him, if it would affect him at all, but it always felt like he had only some of the story. Like he was reading a book with the earlier chapters torn out so he just had to orientate himself with small scads of information. He'd still retained his curiosity, though Joey's words about people and what they might do if they discovered who and what he was heavily tempered the impulse to openly ask about the news. So, he'd been left to his own, limited devices.

"Uh…don' 'member too much 'bout China, know where it is but that's about it. I know there was somethin' in a place called Cuba a good while back…" And, like a bolt of inspiration something else occurred to him, though Bendy wasn't sure if this was a good thing to try to talk about. They might all think he was crazy bringing this one up. Eh, if they wanted to know about big stuff, then he might as well… "They sent a bunch'a guys t'the moon."

That got somewhere around the reaction that the little devil had been expecting, with Allison's eyes widening at the declaration and Henry giving a burbling jolt from his spot right behind Bendy. Tom and Buddy also looked up, more taking an interest in the conversation due to the adults' responses than any real context with what was being said.

"…And it worked?"

"Y-Yeah, definitely did, they all made it back alright. All over the news for a good bit too, their names were Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong." Bendy's response to the hushed, almost disbelieving question provoked only more staring from Allison, a quick look out of the corner of the little devil's eyes revealing that Henry was also 'looking' his way. The sight immediately drew some shyness from the little toon, as even while he'd been in the studio, Joey had had a way of presenting him to the other workers that felt like it was putting Bendy on the spot. And, after thirty years of avoiding contact, this was only making that horribly familiar twisting, uncomfortable feeling all the worse.

But, as his eyes wandered about the room, Bendy caught sight of something leaning up against the unused table that perplexed him. The handle sticking out immediately made him think of some kind of cast-iron pot, but he knew of no kind of cookware that should have lights coming from where the food ought to be.

"What's that?" Bendy found himself asking, realizing nearly after the question was out of his mouth that he was pulling the conversation away from what Allison had wanted to talk about. Still, the angel hardly seemed too bothered by the notion, not protesting a bit as Tom got to his feet to retrieve the indicated object.

The object which turned out to be a glass panel bordered with lights on the inside, attached to a long handle, was held up for the optically-inclined to better see.

"Tom and I were up on one of the upper levels when we noticed the glass. We were initially just going to take it, but when we held it up, in the light, we noticed that we could see something written on one of the walls, something that we couldn't see with our own eyes. A bit of fixing later, and we came up with this."

"Wait, like a hidden message?" Bendy asked, once he was sure of the break in Allison's explanation. The angel gave a nod, proffering the handle to the little toon as she replied.

"Yes, I've been keeping track of the stuff we've found written on the walls, if you want to look at that next."

Already giving a nod, Bendy took ahold of the odd tool, and couldn't quite help the comparison to a magnifying glass. Though, as he pointed it around the room, he couldn't help but notice something glowing on the far wall. It was a sentence that, at first, merely confused, but after a moment of really thinking on it pricked some of the more anxious thoughts to life in Bendy's brain.

 _ **BE CAREFUL OF HIM, HE'S NOT WHO YOU REMEMBER**_

"Is something wrong?" Allison asked, noticing the sudden change in the little devil's facial features, Henry too picking up in the shift of the mood, the animator's ink-dripping head swinging back to Bendy with a questioning burble of a grunt.

"U-Uh, it's nothing, it's…" He'd already started, before realizing that they might know something about this. "W-Was that always there?"

Reaching over, Tom grabbed the seeing tool and peered through it at the wall Bendy had just been looking at. Judging from the momentary flash of surprise, followed by a frown, the little devil deduced that this was not something that they had seen before. The wolf immediately handed the tool to Allison, letting her read the writing on the wall.

"Be careful of him, he's not who you remember…" Allison murmured, the sound somehow carrying despite the softness to it. "No, no that definitely wasn't there before…and it's an actual message too…"

"Huh?"

"Sometimes they're not. They might be a random word, simple drawings of stars or eyes. I think the most coherent thing I saw was a message to break the machine, up on one of the upper levels, there are rooms that were used as backup offices for the animators. There was a set of plans, for the ink machine, set into the wall, that had that written on top of them. Seemed pretty clear to me that it had to be important, especially if the person writing it had to go through the trouble of hiding it."

"So, wait, you know who's writing them? Do they write the other messages too?" Because if that was the case then Bendy wasn't sure he wanted to listen to even what might be a helpful message. But even as the little devil finished, the angel was shaking her head.

"No, I don't know who's writing them, but, I don't think it's one of the Lost Ones, or anyone else I've seen. Definitely not the Ink. They're all the ones writing the messages you can see, these read different when they're coherent. More, aware of what's happening. I was able to make it up to the toyroom, once, after I made this. I found a message written up there, stating that we were all…his playthings. No explanation to who 'he' was, but…this feels the same…" Allison's somewhat halting train of thought was broken up by a declarative tap, both the angel and the devil redirecting their attention to Tom. The wolf had pulled away from his soup, listening to the conversation with a contemplative air and deciding that he had something to add. Setting his bowl to the side, Tom pointed at the wall that the hidden message was on, before pointing up at the ceiling, and miming separating two things, objects...?

"You think they might be…about two different people?" Allison asked, Bendy more than a little relieved that the angel was more familiar with Tom's style of communication. Between the two, the little devil had no huge amount of trouble following along.

And the one-sided conversation moved right along, as Tom nodded his reply and reached out for Allison. With complete ease, the angel gave the wolf her hand, letting him spell out a word on her palm.

"Boris…?" The query was further backed up as Tom pointed at the hidden message on the wall in the room. "You think the message is talking about Boris?"

It made a disturbing amount of sense, and the thought of it chilled Bendy's ink. While it made it sound like Boris was still alive, the idea that the wolf had been changed, _altered_ , _**warped**_ …the little devil felt increasingly small and fluttering somewhere between stunned silent and wanting to curl up and hide away, stay away from everyone else lest something of this leak to any of them…

 _ **BURDEN MONSTER MY FAULT MY FAULT MY FAULT**_

A sudden gurgle from somewhere behind Bendy made the little devil jump, capturing everyone else's attention as well. Henry had noticed the tension skyrocket in the small toon, though he did have a thought of his own that he wanted to convey. Resting a few overlarge fingers on Bendy's back for an instant, Henry carefully nudged Buddy off to sit next to his somewhat bigger counterpart. Feeling his way to the wall behind him, the animator was about to start scribbling his thought when he halted, looking back at the rest of the group with a questioning gurgle.

"It's okay, Henry. There's nothing there." Allison reassured, confirming to the man that they'd be able to read his message. Feeling a faint flicker of irritation at not being able to confirm it himself, he fought down the thought with the fact that there couldn't be any cutouts in here, would defeat the purpose of the place being a safehouse. He'd just have to do this blind…

Slowly, deliberately, Henry's overlarge finger ran through the motions, spelling out a name on the wall. He knew that the message had come clearly across when he heard a quiet hiss of air coming from behind him, though he couldn't tell who exactly had made the noise.

"Joey…" Allison murmured, Henry thankful that the name had come out clear enough. "You mean Joey Drew?"

Nodding his answer, Henry rounded off his thought by raising both hands, the pointer fingers extended, and bringing them close together.

"You think they're both talking about Joey? Both messages?" Allison asked, getting another affirmative from the animator. He could faintly hear shuffling, either from one of the toons or the angel herself, the guess making Henry wonder if they had other questions as to why he was so sure.

Granted, they didn't know Joey the way he did…

The thought was completely cut off as the pounding pain in Henry's frame abruptly reached a crescendo, wiping his awareness of the room away as he was _thrown into a mire of noise and flickering sight, of screams and hurried speech, Henry able to pick out snatches of_ _ **he's come home, he's come at last**_ _, as the image of a hallway swam in and out, the knowledge somehow imparting that this was_ _ **close, very close**_ _, and there were_ _ **familiar dark trails starting to appear at the far end of the corridor**_ _-._

"-appening?! Henry!" The frantic voice was the first thing to greet Henry as he snapped back to awareness, back to his own aching, ink-logged form. It took the man a moment to realize that he'd keeled to collapse on his side, arms lying at odd angles as they twitched spasmodically. There was a small set of hands attempting to clear the ink from his face, another set resting on his shoulders and keeping him on his side. The touch and fact that he could place the voice helped Henry get caught up with what was happening around him. Bendy was the one touching his face, the little devil's voice crackling with fright as he called the man's name. The fingers pressing through the ink at his back had to be Allison, as Tom would have had hands that were somewhat mismatched in texture.

At first, he tried to respond as best he could, half a gurgle out of his mouth as he tried to shakily reach for Bendy's hands, but then the memory of the vision, and what it must mean, crashed through Henry's mind like a bull through a china shop. They were _in_ _ **danger**_ _,_ _ **horrible danger**_ _, and they needed to_ _ **get**_ _ **out**_ _-!_

"Henry, wait-!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, take it easy-!"

Both tried to reach out to him, though the animator managed to slip away and crawled back to the wall, a finger shakily starting to write on the wood. With the way he was trembling, from both pain and the fit, he was worried that his explanation might not have been very legible. However, upon hearing a whine from someone near him, Bendy possibly, Henry knew that something had gotten through.

Just to make his point clear, the animator rushed to add another word, rounding off the message with something that he hoped would put some urgency into the situation.

 _ **SAMMY COMING**_

"Tom, whatever you need to get, do it now." Allison said once the warning had sunk in. Henry let himself sag against the wall, listening as Tom left the room, the angel herself doing so not long after. If he was remembering right, this left him with…

"H-Henry…?"

Bendy. And very likely the smallest toon as well, Bud or Buddy from what Henry remembered ( _faintly_ _ironic_ , he couldn't help but think), but for the moment the man's concern was more for the little devil that sounded like he was worried that 'Sammy' might simply pop up from the floorboards at a whim.

He hadn't wanted to scare Bendy, but there was no way he could protect the little devil from the reality of the situation, especially this late in the game. He'd already failed too much and Bendy probably had a very good idea of what would happen if 'Sammy' were to catch him. Feeling around, the animator was able to rest a hand on what he hoped was the small toon's shoulder, the faint contact causing the devil to jump before resettling, all seemingly in the span of an instant.

"Heh, sorry, I just…yeah, think it's pretty fair t'say 'm rattled."

With good reason though, a concept that Henry tried to convey by giving a somewhat close, but sweeping gesture meant to encapsulate everyone in the little safehouse.

"…Yeah, guess so." Bendy's answer was, lackluster to say the least, Henry not entirely sure that the little devil had gotten the point. But there was hardly time to go further into it, as nary a moment later he could hear the clattering of Allison and Tom coming back, and he knew they'd be leaving as soon as they rejoined the group.

"We're ready." Allison said as she came close, Henry honing in on both her lighter tread and Tom's heavier footfall. The pair came around and went in front, the animator's guess that they were heading for the door. Acting on instinct, Henry made sure that Buddy was still secure atop his shoulders, before snaking out an arm to Bendy. Though he could feel the little devil jolt at the contact, Henry persisted in levying Bendy up to his other shoulder, forcing himself up on legs that felt almost too rubbery to support his weight. Despite the faint noises of worry coming from the small toon, Bendy still did his best to hang on as Henry tried to follow the noises that Tom and Allison were making.

He still had to feel his way along, a hand trailing the length of the wall as Henry both tried to keep up and not trip over something. Not that the wall was really helping with that, as it was uneven at best and varied between a few different surfaces.

A sudden noise from somewhere in front, a squelching mixed with a half-groan, was enough to bring the train to a halt, though from the sound of something impacting with something wet cut off the earlier racket.

"Just one of the little ones." Allison murmured, likely more for Henry's benefit than anything else. "Let's keep moving."

As they continued on down the hall, the group began to slow again, the animator at first confused as to why until he felt a very familiar hum on the periphery of his mind, like his skull was smack in the middle of two magnets and feeling the pull between them. Instinctively 'reaching out', the animator found his mind filled with an image of the five of them, Bendy, Allison, and Tom staring at the cutout with very aware trepidation in all of their faces. Buddy, on his shoulder, looked no less afraid, though he probably couldn't tell exactly what they were all looking at.

And if he could see it, everything else in the studio that was smart enough to use the cutouts definitely could. It was about the same as tripping an alarm.

Though, as he 'looked' from face to face, Henry could also see Allison's expression pulling from deer-in-the-headlights to something more calm, calculating in the face of the danger. The sight was relieving for the animator in its own right, as given his situation he could really do only so much proper leading. You generally had to be understood by everyone you were with for that to work well.

Even still, he already had an idea of what was to come, nudging Buddy and Bendy to stand on the ground in preparation.

"…We'll have to split up. Just to keep them busy. Two groups are harder to catch than one." Though the idea was sound, Henry knew that it wouldn't be so easily for all members of the group to accept it, just on the grounds that he could feel Bendy stiffen up next to him, and heard Tom give a slight hiss of air which definitely did not read as calm acquiescence.

And, thankfully, Allison heard and correctly read it too. Henry could see the angel gesture insistently to the wolf, Tom stiffly walking with her out of the view of the cutout. However, it was not out of range of Henry's ears, which were able to hear the hushed conversation that took place on the periphery of the room.

"Tom, please, I know you don't like this, but you have to trust me-."

There was a noise that sounded like prosthetic fingers tapping against something leather, Allison giving a semi-frustrated sigh in response before launching back into her explanation.

"If we split up, they'll have a harder time tracking us down. You'll have to go with Bendy and Buddy, Tom. They'll need you to stay safe, and Henry and I can head the other way. Draw them off."

Another stony pause, though Allison must've felt she was making some headway, as she quickly added another, softer bit of encouragement to the reticent wolf.

"I trust you, Tom, I know you can handle this. I'll be fine. We'll meet up later, but right now, this is the best way to go. Keep them safe, please. Take the seeing tool, alright? You might see something we'll need to know."

There was a long, tense pause before they seemed to come to some accord, judging from the faintly relieved note to Allison's next words, the sound coupled by a faint rustling.

"Thank you, Tom. I'll see you later, I promise."

Meanwhile, the two devils stood off to the side, Bendy's hand clamped over one of Buddy's out of habit as his head was a-whirl with all that was happening, eyes dully watching Tom carefully take the seeing tool from Allison. 'Sammy' was coming, looking for him, obviously, but seeing as he was apparently being protected by Henry, Allison, and Tom, they were getting dragged into it too. And, at the same time, he so desperately did not want to be separated again.

 _ **Burden…**_

He was snapped out of his dismal thoughts as Henry reached out, the light, dripping contact to his shoulder making Bendy shiver and hunch down around himself.

"Henry, I can't…" The little devil tried through a tight throat, feeling his already-shining eyes burn in tandem with the sensation of ink sliding down his face. "…can't just leave, I can't…"

And though the animator could no longer speak, Henry quietly steadied himself on his 'legs', and wrapped the shaking, small frame in an inky bear hug along with Buddy, giving both devils a light but grounding squeeze before letting go and pushing them away. He turned, about to go back down the hall before a sudden, pitiful cry came from behind.

"H-Henry?"

And though the man knew that he should be going, that the longer he stood here the more likely the jaws of this supposed trap were closing on their necks, he couldn't make himself go. Sliding to turn back around, Henry instinctively reached for the sight the cutout provided, and felt whatever remained of his insides sink at the vision appearing in his mind's eye. Bendy was still facing towards him, head slightly bowed and small frame looking as though it were trying to hide in the baggy coat the way it drew inward, shoulders bowing under some invisible weight. But what really made Henry stop was the fact that Bendy was shivering as one sob after another came, tears and ink pouring down the pale face as his head lowered and arms wrapped around his frame. What's worse was that there was barely any audible hint of this, perhaps a faint hitched breath if Henry strained to hear, almost as though Bendy had had a lot of practice in the art of quiet meltdowns.

Either way, the image made the ink oozing from the man's head go from viscous to runny, and Henry turned all the way back round to face the toon devil. At the noise of Henry pulling his body around, Bendy's head rose back up, pie-cut eyes bleary and wet.

Though the image in his mind's eye practically screamed at him to do something, to not leave things like this, to at least try to help the little toon in some way, the animator faltered, suddenly caught in the reality of his ink-logged body, slime-shrouded arms, and rubbery legs. Lowering his head, Henry's fists clenched against the ground as he drowned in more than ink.

 _ **They all deserved so much better…**_

And suddenly there was a clatter of footsteps, and Bendy threw his arms around the man's goop-covered neck. Even though it had been thirty years, Henry still found himself wrapping a steadying arm around the toon's frame, his other hand about to rest on the devil's head before he thought better of it and just completed the hug.

Not that Bendy really seemed primed to care at the moment, as he had turned his silent misery into slightly more audible sobbing as he clung to Henry. Despite the fact that even the slightest pressure to his neck and shoulder hurt the man could hardly care less about the pain, rocking slightly on his knees as he did his best to convey through the hug what he could not through words.

But, as with all moments, the hug had to come to an end. Henry could hear Allison starting to shift behind him, knowing that the angel was probably thinking of what would happen if 'Sammy' were to turn up right then and there while they were all distracted. He honestly had no desire to see the once-musician again, not after the cat-and-mouse they'd gotten caught up in on Level K. Not to mention there was very much a part of Henry that felt something break inside at the idea of his friend, his friend since forever, lost for decades, _**broken, pushed closer and closer to the brink until there was nothing left to do but tumble over the edge-.**_

Bendy gave a congested sounding grunt as he was eased away, Henry moving the little devil to stand more in front of him rather than plastered to his torso. Hoping that the small toon was looking at him, the man pointed to Bendy, and then to about where he figured Tom was standing.

Though Henry couldn't see the gesture, Tom still gave a nod to the ink-covered animator, quietly reaching out to Bendy. The little devil's gaze flipped between the wolf and the man, realizing what would have to come even though he had no desire to bring it about. Despite feeling that he was tearing open a barely-healed wound, Bendy drew away from Henry, taking Tom's hand and allowing the wolf to bring him to stand alongside. As he let Buddy grab onto his jacket, the little devil looked again to the man he'd known since nearly his beginning, and wondered if this was going to be a much more definitive goodbye.

"S-See you 'round, Henry." It was attempting to be flippant, to pretend that there was nothing wrong and that everything was going to be fine, but Bendy was sure that the wet, shaky tenor gave away how he was really feeling. It seemed that before he was ready, Tom was steering him away, Allison and Henry going in the opposite direction as the group split.

* * *

Elsewhere, a sharply-dressed man with somewhat askew, receding brown hair sat in a softly-lit, small office, pouring over papers as he tried to read. Around him floated the occasional, glowing orb, a similar glimmer faintly wafting off his shoulders and head, but the majority of his light came from a lamp perched on the upper shelf of the desk. Just as he pushed his glasses back from where they'd started to slide down his nose, the lamp suddenly dimmed, a faint groan running through the pipes over his head. Though he grabbed his papers in preparation to move, nothing happened, the strain disappearing as quickly as it had come, and the man tried to go back to reading, sparing a glance or two at the pipes overhead just in case the universe had a change of heart.

However, a new distraction presented itself, in the form of heavy, plodding steps coming from outside of the little office. But despite man turning to the door to see the newcomer arrive, his facial expression did not turn the least bit surprised at the sight.

The newcomer was tall, needing to duck to fit under the doorframe, details of the towering frame only somewhat visible as it was mostly wrapped in a pure white robe which drew up into a hood to hide the head and face, like something that would have been common in a monastery. But there were some hints, such as the fact that the edge of the white cloth was saturated with black, and a heavy, ragged breathing, that all was not well, this being the final straw that caused the man to lean away from the desk entirely.

"Everything alright?"

" _ **He has been, stirring them up**_." The voice emanating from under the hood was like faint, rolling thunder, multiple tones dancing in the syllables. But still, much like the rest of the figure, it was worn down, the powerful gravitas a mere shadow of what it could be. _**"He is making it hard to think, on purpose. He is trying for distraction."**_

"Hmm." Though the idea that the collective weight of all the trapped souls was starting to wear down on something that had, at one point, seemed so absolute, was quite frankly a little terrifying, the man kept any anxiety he was feeling from the thought clamped down tight. It would do no good to start openly panicking, especially when calm would help him learn more about the situation. "And how is the rest of you?"

" _ **I believe the word you have for this sort of feeling is 'swamped'."**_

"Makes sense. Maybe you ought to sit down."

With a bare wave of a dark, diffuse-looking hand sheathed in a white sleeve, a faded, green armchair simply slid through the wall, popping free like it was escaping a bubble. Once it was out, the towering frame sank onto it, deflating slightly as they relaxed. However, there was barely a moment of relief, as another rumble echoed through the ceiling, the tall form stiffening as the lights dimmed and flickered again. The figure's own lights also flickered in tandem with the disturbance, blinking in and out from the shadows under the hood. This bout, however, was hardly over so fast. Instead, the man watched with a growing anxiety as the lights continued to sputter for about two minutes, the effect this had on the figure easily seen. As the pulsating lights from under the hood began to blink even more urgently, the dark stains on the hem of the white robe began to travel upwards and stain the brighter livery. The tall frame's shoulders drew inward, the figure folding in on itself as though they were in some internal distress. Instinctively the man reached out, resting a hand on the white-clothed shoulder, and nearly drew back straightaway due to both the heat that roiled under the robe, along with the feeling of squiggling, constant movement in the tall frame, like the skin itself were crawling.

The man's grip grew tighter, the tension he'd been fighting with a moment ago turning hard to control as his mind went in circles. But, before he could well and truly start to panic, he felt something wet start to soak through, his eyes catching sight of something black pooling around his hand.

The sight barely had time to register before _a buzzing began to ring through the man's ears, his hands coming away though it hardly did any good; the humming had grown louder and louder, evolving into shrill, piercing screams. Though he knew it would not help, the man still found himself trying to cover his ears to block out the sound. Even still, the noise continued to change and grow more distinct, forming into_ _ **words**_ _-._

 _-_ _ **home**_ _, he's come_ _ **home**_ _-_

 _-set us_ _ **free**_ _, please, set us_ _ **free**_ _-_

 _ **-he will he will come he has to-**_

 _-so_ _ **cold**_ _bring_ _ **warmth**_ _let us see the_ _ **sun**_ _-_

 _-His eyes were filled with the sight of swirling darkness, able to just see the grasping hands reaching out from the black slurry under his feet. Head turning to look upward, he could see a shape crowned with a collection of three spheres round its head that rose above the mire, though it was becoming overrun by other, smaller figures, all grasping and reaching for some way out of this hell. And, underneath the buzzing screams the man could hear another noise that was half a scream, turning into a tormented roar that rumbled like thunder or an earthquake, calling for the cacophony to_ _ **CEASE**_ _-_

" _ **-ant. Grant Cohen**_." The rumbling tones to the voice were mere whispers, but even they were enough to jolt the man from his daze. Blinking heavily, he refocused on the sight of the white robed figure, quietly peering at him from the chair through hooded, exhausted eyes that were reverse colored, white on black.

"…I'm alright." He said, even as he snuck a glance down at the hand that had been stained with ink, now left clean. Probably returned to the body it came from, speaking of which…

Taking quick stock, the man noticed how the stains he'd seen before had retreated, pulled back into the body underneath the white robe. Still, they had not completely gone away, the hem still mired with black, and the ragged breathing only grown more prominent with this recent fit.

"It's even affecting your proxies…"

" _ **Unfortunately**_." At first, the words seemed lucid, but as the figure continued to speak, the more the man began to believe that things were worse than he'd initially thought. " _ **We, I…growing tired. They keep screaming, they think, they dream harder than they have before, so many dreams…"**_

"Here, let's try to get you to focus on something else…" Grant's plan, though slapdash, was enough to get the figure to perk up. Even though it was only a chess board set up on a chair in between them, it still provoked a lightening in the mood of the room, the glimmering reverse eyes blinking heavily in an attempt to focus on the possibility of a game.

It was funny to think about, given that they had been so frustrated by the whole concept of chess at first, the idea of complicated strategy not needed for something of their…origin and thus it was a thing that they struggled with. Now they practically leapt at the chance to play, which was wonderful for Grant, as he had been an avid chess player before working at Joey Drew Studios stole up all of his time both free and otherwise.

He allowed them to start the game first, moving a black pawn into the no-man's land between the arranged rows. A few, small moves across the board later, they spoke up, the words indicating a much-welcomed return to coherency.

 _ **"I may have to condense the space, sacrifice some rooms. Will speak to the others, so they are not left stranded."**_ A plan then. If not to deal directly with Joey, then to limit the damage. Seemed sound, but just in case…

"When will you plan on doing it? I'll remind you if you like."

 _ **"Once we're done here, if not sooner. He has…"**_ At this, the dark hands stilled in the act of picking up another pawn, something under the hood flickering like a wavering fire. _**"…he has already taken Boris. I could hear him too. I think that may have been on purpose."**_

"It very likely was. He knows," Grant started, stilling in his own movements to run a hand through his hair. Though he'd known that Joey was very much a tyrant when it came to his workers, he would have thought that the man might've been a little bit more lenient on something, or more rather someone, that he had brought into the world. But, from what they had told him, the somewhat less-than-ethically-sound treatment had been a long-running affair. And, considering how it had turned out after the studio head had gone mad…

"…he knows you care, after all. He will use it to hurt you, if he can." Grant finished, moving one of his own pawns to capture theirs, unable to stop a faint quirk of a smile at the faint huff that came from under the hood. They, for their part, politely ignored the show of triumph, and opted instead to examine the board.

 _ **"I could guess that part. He would do that to Henry and Samuel many times."**_ They replied, moving another pawn into the open. _**"But it still baffles me. I gave them their spark of life, made the dream he'd wanted a reality. He should know that they are, unquestionably, alive. But still, he treats them as dolls, pawns. No different than these."**_

"For some, life is not good enough a reason. We can only try to move forward now, work around Joey's plans, and make sure their ultimate goal never pans out." 'The ultimate goal', as he'd used it, had become something of a euphemism between them, born from discussing strategy and seeing as they were restrained from discussing specifics of Joey's overall plan. Everyone knew that what Joey wanted hinged on Bendy, but that was about the extent of it. It had certainly been a good rallying point to get the more shattered souls of the studio workers involved, heck, Grant had believed it himself, when he'd been one of them. But, once his mind had been made clear and after remembering how the little devil had sounded when he'd answered the phone in Joey's office, resembling a child with his speech and mannerisms, Grant could only hope that Joey never got his wish.

 _ **"He has moved in already. Though I had suspected he already guessed where Allison had settled."**_ They suddenly spoke up, finally managing to take one of his pawns. Not that they were allowed to celebrate the victory long, as Grant quickly claimed one of theirs. But, even as he moved the captured piece off the board, the words caused him to look up with no small alarm in his face. It had only been maybe a few hours, things couldn't have been moving that fast…

"He has? Joey?"

 _ **"I have warned Henry. He'll have to, to act where I cannot."**_ At this, the more intent, focused air they exuded began to dim, not that Grant had to think hard to understand why. While his own meetings with them went back for at least two of the three decades that they had been trapped here, Henry had been the first one to somehow engage with this alien being, not counting Joey Drew. Grant never understood the exact circumstances of how they'd managed to bond, but for the moment, he could easily say that he was very grateful for it. Even if it put the animator in the very difficult position of needing to combat the real physical threats that Joey had set up around the studio. And, from what he'd managed to glean from them, with at least three kids in tow, only one with any significant experience in defending himself, but perhaps Bendy could be relied upon in a pinch…

…Either way, it seemed like the best option possible would be to avoid fighting all together, not that Joey would likely let them do that if he could help it. It was times like this when Grant wished he could do more than merely advise from the shadows, though without a proper body that was more than slightly difficult.

And any serious creation had to go through Joey first, as they'd put it. Grant held no illusions about what that might very well mean, especially considering how easily the studio head could stir up the various monstrosities that were about.

"Guess he will." The response was somewhat canned, more automatic than actually contributing. But, really, it was out of their hands. And worrying over it like a dog with a bone would only be so productive. Hearing a somewhat affirmative noise from his chess partner, he refocused his attention on the board, hoping to at least provide a decent distraction like he'd initially planned.

Looking down, Grant couldn't help but notice that the figure had moved in a new piece to protect their king, even though there were still a few black pawns on the board. Instead of those, they had chosen the knight.

* * *

And there we go. The next chapter I will be working on, but I want to hold off on completing until the books come out in September. In the meantime, there are a few other projects that I hope to work on, some being more prequel stories for UaD. As another note, I've also tweaked the last bit for the previous chapter, the semi-out-of-body experience that Boris has, as I found that it didn't quite fit with the lore I was developing. To wrap this up, there's also some art that I've posted on my Tumblr page for this story, just go to nemo-draco dot tumblr dot com and look under the tag nemo's art.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews!


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